South Korean director Na Hong-Jin will make his San Diego Comic-Con debut with a panel celebrating his latest film “Hope.” The film premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Neon in the U.S. this September.
The special panel will feature an exclusive introduction from Korean breakout star Hoyeo (“Squid Game”) and an in-depth conversation with Na. Attendees will also get a look at new footage from the film.
“Hope” unfolds in the remote village of Hope Harbor, where a mysterious creature has wreaked havoc. Police and local hunters set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But not all is as it seems.
“It is an honor to join the legendary list of panelists at Comic-Con, there’s nowhere else quite like it. I’m excited to share my work and introduce one of the greatest audiences in the world to our new film ‘Hope’, a passion project 10 years in the making. I hope you’ll join me before it arrives in U.S. theaters in September. See you in San Diego!” said Na in a statement.
Critics embraced “Hope” in Cannes, with Variety‘s Jessica Kiang calling it “ … among the best — and funniest — action movies you have ever seen.”
The film will have its North American premiere as the centerpiece film at the New York Asian Film Festival, where director Na will also receive NYAFF’s Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema. Na’s debut feature, “The Chaser” (2008), premiered out of competition at the 61st Cannes Film Festival and became both a critical and commercial success, earning numerous Korean film award recognitions, and concluding its run as South Korea’s third-highest grossing film that year. His next two feature films, “The Yellow Sea” (2010) and “The Wailing” (2016), were also selected for Cannes Film Festival premieres.