Netflix's latest offering from Korea, the sci-fi thriller series Hellbound created by acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho, has already become the top non-English language series globally for the streamer, currently just ahead of Squid Game. Its creator is best known internationally for having directed the huge horror zombie hits 2016's Train to Busan and 2020's Peninsula. Now, Yeon has teased a potential third installment in the zombie trilogy.
Centering on a group of passengers on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan battling to survive after a zombie apocalypse breaks out, Train to Busan is a horror movie that pairs exhilarating set-pieces with profound social commentary. It was seen as a refreshing take on the zombie genre and garnered critical acclaim and huge audiences. Following this, Yeon released Peninsula, a standalone sequel set in the same universe as Train to Busan and taking place four years afterward.
Yeon has now teased the possibility of a third movie, saying it could be a mixture of the first two movies in terms of genre and subject. Speaking to Variety, Yeon said he has had ideas of further development for the cinematic universe he's created and wants to develop those into a film. For him, a TV series adaptation would not be capable of creating the same impressive visuals. Yeon went on to say that the potential third movie would be similar to Train to Busan in that it would "be carried out in a small, restricted space," rather than the high-octane car chases of Peninsula.
Korean horror films are hugely popular and have brought a large audience to South Korean cinema as a whole. TV series have followed in these footsteps, and while it serves to be careful not to make lazy comparisons just because of a shared country of origin, the combination of social commentary and inventive horror is very successfully executed in Korean media. Train to Busan was incredibly influential and has a stellar cast to boot. The movie's lead actor, Gong Yoo, went on to have a prominent role in Squid Game, while another cast member, Ma Dong-seok, is currently starring in Marvel Studios' Eternals.
The movie rightly has a passionate fanbase that wants to see more from the universe. However, a questionable American remake of Train to Busan is currently in the works. Titled Last Train to New York, the remake has already received criticism for its unnecessary nature, taking an already great film and cashing in with a shallow rehashing just so English-language viewers don't need to read subtitles. The four-time Academy Award-winning Korean film, Parasite, gave its director Bong Joon-ho a chance to advocate for foreign language films in his acceptance speech, and the easily-overcome "one-inch barrier" of subtitles. Hardcore fans of Yeon's films may therefore want to miss its American adaptation.
While there is no confirmation from Yeon about the actual development of a third movie in the universe, the idea is already inspiring much anticipation and would surely be another hit for Korean cinema - Train to Busan was a global box office hit with a worldwide gross of $98.5 million. In the meantime, fans can check out Yeon's Netflix series Hellbound, which is on track to be the streamer's next big thing.
Train to Busan and Hellbound are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Variety