Director Na Hong-jin on His Sci-Fi Thriller Hope, The Importance of In-Camera Stunts, and Why Hoyeon Was the Perfect Action Hero
The Korean genre filmmaker known for The Wailing reflects on his new creature feature, which also stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander
by Lana Thorn 22 September 2026
NEON
10 years ago, Na Hong-jin chilled audiences around the globe with his supernatural horror mystery The Wailing. Now, while keeping the setting of a remote Korean village, the 52-year-old writer-director has taken on an epic alien thriller about a host of local heroes (played by Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Hoyeon of Squid Game) defending their home from massive extraterrestrials (Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton in motion-capture performances).
After sharing some cryptic details with us about his already-written sequel, Na caught up with Phantasmag to discuss his early moviegoing memories, why Hoyeon was the ideal choice to play the female lead, and how he hopes he gets his next film to audiences quickly after the decade-long wait for Hope.
Hwang Jung-min as Bum-seok. Courtesy of NEON.
Phantasmag: What was your relationship to horror and sci-fi growing up?
Na Hong-jin: Growing up, I didn’t quite like horror films, but I loved sci-fi movies. Really, I just loved movies in general, so much so that I’d watch them every day, going to the theatres and pestering the staff. There weren’t many multiplexes, so if you wanted to watch movies all day, you were limited in how many you could actually see. So my friends and I would split up and wait in lines at different theatres to buy tickets, and then catch the movies. I saw all the entertaining ones, and the options were incredibly diverse back then. There were plenty of French films, too.
P: Even if there are major CGI elements like the aliens, the in-camera action in Hope is breathtaking. What was the importance to you of staging these scenes practically?
NHJ: Whenever I make a film, I really hope it has a handmade quality. Nowadays, we rely so heavily on CGI — and the world has reached a point where it’s difficult to make movies without it — but I’ve always wanted to create films that way if possible. There is definitely a difference. Even if I can’t articulate exactly what causes it, you inevitably sense it as the shots, scenes, and sequences stack up. I think my own tastes and inclinations drove me to work that way. Plus, I simply love those kinds of movies. When I watch them, I get the feeling that I’m seeing a film crafted by human hands, like I’m connecting with a person. I feel a sense of nostalgia and think to myself, ‘Right, this is cinema.’ That’s the kind of movie I wanted to make, too.
Zo In-sung as Sung-ki. Courtesy of NEON.
P: Speaking of the action scenes, which one was the most challenging to pull off?
NHJ: There were various scenes, but one thing that I was really concerned about was I didn’t want to be repetitive. There’s a lot of information that has to be passed to the audience with a lot of speed. So the biggest challenge was figuring out how to capture that speed while presenting the action to the audience in a diverse and engaging way.
P: Hope marks the first feature film role for Hoyeon, who plays a compelling action hero. What made you know she was right for the part, and how did you shape that character?
NHJ: Casting the female lead was the most difficult part. When I was writing and developing the character, I didn't really have any kind of actor in mind. I remember it was a winter in Montana, and I was in a very desolate airport. This young woman came up to stop the airplane and started talking about something. In the end, it wasn’t that serious, but she wanted to look very professional even though it was a cold winter and you could see her hands, ears, nose, and face were so red. The way she wanted to perform her duty even though she was freezing to death left a big impression on me, and that was the kind of person I wanted to have as a character.
Hoyeon as Sung-ae. Courtesy of NEON.
When I met Hoyeon, I felt like somebody had come straight out of my brain, and the person I had been looking for just walked through the door. We had dinner and a really fun day of chatting. That continued to a little bit of drinking. I knew she was the person I wanted for the character, and I gave her the script right away and suggested she consider the job. Then she came to set, and the director of photography [Parasite cinematographer Hong Kyung-po] and I were both so amazed by her. She had a manic energy and focus that really fit the role. I was so happy with her performance.
P: You’ve said that Hope was a little “too light” for your standards, and that you have a very dark, bloody film that you're considering making before doing a sequel.
NHJ: Yes, I’m writing something and really enjoying the process. I’ve actually become so immersed in the work that it’s taking a bit of a toll on my physical condition. I want to keep this one secret, but I can say that I’m doing my best to share it with audiences really soon.
Hope is in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from September 25th