"Along with the Gods," which achieved the monumental milestone of becoming the first South Korean film series to consecutively surpass 10 million viewers each, has officially announced the production of its third installment. This comes a staggering eight years after the second film, "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days."

Production company DexterStudios announced on October 20 that Director Kim Yong-hwa has confirmed "Along with the Gods: Life and Death" as his next project, officially entering full-scale preparations with the goal of starting production in the second half of 2027.

Based on cartoonist Joo Ho-min's webtoon of the same name, "Along with the Gods" is a massive blockbuster hit, with the first film "Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds" (2017) drawing 14.41 million viewers and the second film "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" (2018) attracting 12.28 million viewers. In the South Korean film industry, where serial film franchises have often struggled, the "Along with the Gods" series achieved a monumental success by becoming the first to consecutively draw over 10 million moviegoers.

Following the success of the second film, Director Kim Yong-hwa and co-producer Won Dong-yeon mentioned that if sequels were to be made, they would likely be produced simultaneously as parts 3 and 4, though no concrete production news followed. Afterwards, Director Kim focused his energy on growing DexterStudios, which he founded, and spent a busy time producing "Ashfall" and "Project Silence" while directing "The Moon." Now, as if the time has come, he has officially announced the production of the third film after about eight years.

The production of the third "Along with the Gods" film is welcome news that breathes rare life into the film industry. Amid a trend where production scales have slimmed down following COVID-19, it is expected to set a large-scale project in motion after a long hiatus.

"Along with the Gods: Life and Death" tells the story set in "Gucheon," a place where souls linger because they cannot leave for the afterlife due to lingering attachments they could not let go of even in death. Following "The Two Worlds," which depicted the seven trials judging a deceased person's sins, and "The Last 49 Days," which unraveled the millennium-long ties of the afterlife grim reapers, this installment will follow the protagonist "Sol-i," who stands paused between life and death, as she crosses the nine worlds to find the song she could never finish singing.

An industry insider hinted, "While a new story unfolds with Gucheon as the background, the core narrative is expected to remain centered around the three afterlife guardians: Gangrim, Haewonmak, and Deokchun."

The casting of the actors has not yet been finalized. However, Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, the main leads of the series, are reportedly given verbal commitments to appear. Given that all the main stars of "Along with the Gods" are currently among the busiest actors in the film industry, scheduling coordination is expected to be a key factor.

"Along with the Gods: Life and Death" has commenced production with the target of beginning filming in the second half of 2027.



(Photo courtesy of SBS Entertainment News, reported by Kim Ji-hye)