HOPE 2 Teased With Wild Story Details as Director Plans a Sci-Fi Monster Trilogy

If you walked out of Hope wondering how the this insane sci-fi monster story will continue, director Na Hong-jin has some very good news. He’s already thinking beyond one sequel, and the story he has in mind could require three movies to finish.

I absolutely loved Hope. The movie was completely bonkers, and I happily embraced every bit of its insanity. By the time the credits rolled, I needed to know where this story was going next. Thankfully, Na has a much bigger plans for this world.

The Korean filmmaker recently talked about his ideas for Hope 2 and revealed that the story grew so much during development that a sequel might not be enough.

“As I was developing the story, it got longer, and I realized I would need at least a sequel, or maybe three films, to tell the whole thing. The first film takes place entirely in the daylight, but the sun is setting as we get to the end, right? Well, this is a bit of a preview, but when night comes in part two, military backup is going to arrive.”

Hope already threw its characters into a wild and increasingly chaotic situation, and bringing military forces into the picture at night could crank the monster mayhem up considerably.

Na also offered a very interesting tease about Bum-seok, played by Hwang Jung-min. The character was severely injured at the end of the first movie, but his story clearly isn’t finished. “He’s still alive and in the fight, right? Don’t be surprised if he crosses over to the North…”

Na didn’t elaborate on what that means, but the obvious possibility is that Hope 2 could take some of its story into North Korea. Considering everything the first movie unleashed, expanding the conflict across the border could take this sci-fi monster saga in a crazy new direction.

Hope stars Hwang alongside former Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon. The cast also includes Zo In-sung, Eum Moon-suk, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton.

The movie has received a solid response from critics and audiences. The bigger question is whether the numbers will support Na’s ambitions for a full Hope trilogy.

The first movie reportedly cost $46 million to make and has earned just over $41 million at the box office so far. If the plan really is to make Hope 2 and eventually a third film, the sequel will likely need to pull in a much larger audience.

I really hope Na gets the opportunity to finish this thing. Hope hooked me with its monsters, weirdness, chaos, and willingness to go completely off the rails. I loved the ride, and after seeing how the first movie ended, I need to know how this whole story plays out.

I’m absolutely ready to see how much crazier Hope can get.