Director Na Hong-jin, who helmed the film "HOPE", explained the details of the movie during a GV (Guest Visit) with Director Kim Jee-woon.

On July 29, a special GV featuring Director Na Hong-jin and Director Kim Jee-woon was held to an enthusiastic response from the audience at Megabox COEX.

Director Kim Jee-woon, who mentioned that this was his first time hosting a GV in his film directing career, shared his impressions of the work, saying, "I felt like I was watching it in a state of ecstasy for two and a half hours. It ended too quickly, so I wanted to watch another 20 to 30 minutes," and "It felt like stepping into the world led by Director Na Hong-jin. It is a film that powerfully and ecstatically shows what cinematic cinema is."

Regarding the planning intention of the work, Director Na Hong-jin explained, "When considering how to understand the current state of humanity, I wanted to view it from a cosmic perspective." In response, Director Kim Jee-woon praised the energy of "HOPE," which races with an unpredictable rhythm, stating, "Human ignorance in the face of incomprehensible existence and irrationality becomes the driving force, creating a spectacle of immense kinetic energy."

During the audience Q&A session, various questions surrounding the film along with colorful behind-the-scenes stories from the filming set heated up the atmosphere even more. While discussing the high-difficulty action sequences, Director Kim Jee-woon shared his vivid impressions of the road-racing sequence that is talked about as a memorable scene in the film, saying, "Watching the horse action scene filmed on the Seonggi Bridge, an asphalt overpass, I thought Zo In-sung was amazing. Riding a horse in such a dizzying place about 50 meters high with his upper body coming over the railing, knowing the bridge originally, I thought it must have been difficult (to film)."

Next, when asked about the process of building characters, Director Na Hong-jin mentioned "Mukbang" (eating broadcasts) and answered, "To portray a living creature-like feeling that keeps wriggling and surviving even when killed, I wanted to capture it through (the characters) eating in a combative manner." In addition, to Director Kim Jee-woon's question about future OTT screening plans for "HOPE", Director Na Hong-jin drew attention by stating, "There are no plans to screen 'HOPE' on OTT platforms yet. I will do my best until that final day."

On this day, Jung Hoyeon, who worked together with Director Kim Jee-woon on his upcoming project, was also present in the audience and heated up the atmosphere by asking a surprise question.

Finally, Director Kim Jee-woon did not spare encouragement and praise for Director Na Hong-jin, stating, "As the production environment worsened after the pandemic and investments shrank, repeating the vicious cycle where safe planned movies are made and ignored by audiences, I think Director Na Hong-jin has created 'HOPE', a spectacle overflowing with the madness and grit we so desperately wanted. As a creator, I am grateful and happy."

The film "HOPE" surpassed 3 million moviegoers nationwide in 11 days of its release, and is challenging to surpass 4 million this weekend.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)