Hope's Cliffhanger Ending & Sequel Chances Addressed By Director And Star Of New Sci-Fi Epic

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Hope.EXCLUSIVE: Na Hong-jin's new film Hope is now in U.S. theaters, and the filmmaker just revealed whether the sci-fi thriller will ever get a sequel.

Hope tells the story of Ko Bum-seok, Hope Harbor's police chief, who steps up to protect his village amid the appearance of an alien. Deep in the forest, a group of hunters ends up being hunted while trying to find the creature. This film marks Na's first feature-length project in a decade after 2016's The Wailing.

Now that moviegoers have the opportunity to see Hope, there's speculation about a possible sequel, considering how the film ended. While Na believes a sequel is not necessary because Hope works as a standalone story, the filmmaker is open to the idea, as he revealed in an interview with ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender.

Hope ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, though Na is adamant that there are "very clearly two sides" by that point: "the assailants versus the victims." The assailants (humans) have had their final say, while the victims are allowed to do the same in their own way. With that type of outcome, Na "realized I don't need anything aside from that."

According to Na, the assailants haven't "reached the point of repentance, but that's the feeling they're sharing and heading towards." On the other side of this, the victims' storyline wraps with a sense of hope and moving forward. These are two clear and opposing sides. Na doesn't think it's ambiguous at all, so in his opinion, "it's an adequate ending for the film."

Na Hong-jin: "By the end of the film, we very clearly see two sides: the assailants versus the victims. The assailants, who are the humans, have their final say and perspective. And then the victims also get a chance to have their final conversation and convey their perspective. At that point, I realized you don't need anything aside from that. In the assailants' final conversation, they're conveying a sense of confusion while realizing, 'This is what we must have been doing. Now that we are aware, what should we do in the future?' I don't think they've quite reached the point of repentance, but that's the feeling they're sharing and heading towards. Meanwhile, the victims' final conversation conveys a sense that, regardless of everything that has happened, they will still maintain hope and still move forward. Because we got these clear, opposing sides of the story, I don't think it's ambiguous. In my opinion, it's an adequate ending for the film."

Na, who also wrote the script, believes that he could tell the "full story" across one or two sequels, but while filming Hope, he realized that the one movie that's out now "might be enough" without the need for any additional installments.

But if the opportunity ever arises to keep going, he would want to have "more time to really think about" how to continue the story instead of moving ahead with a sequel just for the sake of making more money.

Na Hong-jin: "I think I would need one or two more movies to tell the full story, but in the process of making this movie, the thought did occur to me that maybe the story told within the movie Hope might be enough. As for the circumstances that would have to be met in order to make those sequels, I think the number one circumstance that needs to be met is me having more time to really think about it."

During the same interview with ScreenRant, cast member Hoyeon, who plays rookie police officer Sung-ae in Hope, is on the fence about a possible sequel. Early on, she "really wanted to make Hope 2," but once the film was released in Korea, she started to see audiences creating their own backstories for the humans and aliens.

"It's actually kind of cool to just let it happen, so I'm actually fine if we just end the story with Hope," the actress explained, while adding that because "there's a whole universe in this film," she wants a sequel to get greenlit at some point so that the Na can "present an ending for the story."

Hoyeon: "I'm half and half, because we already premiered our film in Korea, and it's become a trend for people to start making up backstories for both the human characters and the aliens. Everyone is making their own story. At the beginning, I really wanted to make Hope 2, but just watching audiences make their own story is great. It's actually kind of cool to just let it happen, so I'm actually fine if we just end the story with Hope. But I don't know! There's a whole universe in this film, and I really want to present an ending for the story because it's just so fun. So, I'm going to say that MY hope is that we make a Hope 2."

Hoyeon's co-stars in Hope are Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.

Before its U.S. theatrical release, Hope premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and competed for the main award—the Palme d'Or—which ultimately went to Cristian Mungiu's Fjord.

Then the movie was released in South Korea three months later, followed by screenings at the New York Asian Film Festival in July (where it won the Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema) and Edinburgh International Film Festival in August.

Throughout these four months, Hope has been racking up positive reviews left and right, and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critic score of 80%. Now U.S. audiences can experience the sci-fi thriller on the big screen and see for themselves if Hope is ripe for a sequel.

Cast

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  Hwang Jung-min

  Go Bum-seok

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  Zo In-sung

  Go Sung-ki

An ominous and unfathomable force descends on the remote town of Hope Harbor, near the Demilitarized Zone.