Hope (2026 film)
South Korean science fiction film by Na Hong-jin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hope (Korean: 호프) is a 2026 South Korean epic science fiction action thriller film written and directed by Na Hong-jin. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. The film centers on a village police chief and his rookie deputy who must defend his local community from a mysterious creature after wildfires sever all communications, while a local hunting party finds itself being hunted deep in the mountains.[1]
_poster.png)
| Hope | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | 호프 |
| RR | Hopeu |
| MR | Hop'ŭ |
| Directed by | Na Hong-jin |
| Written by | Na Hong-jin |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Hong Kyung-pyo |
| Edited by | Kim Sun-min |
| Music by | Michael Abels |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Plus M Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Languages |
|
| Budget | $46 million[4] |
| Box office | $33.3 million |
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It received positive reviews, with special praise for Na's direction in action sequences, but was criticised for its VFX work.
Distributed by Plus M Entertainment, it was released theatrically in South Korea on July 15, 2026.
Plot
Reinforcements have been diverted to battle wildfires and all communication has been cut off. Hope’s police outpost chief Bum-seok and officer Sung-ae struggle to defend a village of the elderly, while in the mountains, Sung-ki and the locals who set out to track the beast find themselves hunted instead. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.[5]
Cast
- Hwang Jung-min as Bum-seok,[1] the police chief
- Zo In-sung as Sung-ki,[1] a headstrong local who tracks a dangerous creature
- Hoyeon as Sung-ae,[1] a rookie cop
- Michael Fassbender as Ma'veyyo, one of the creatures[1][6]
- Alicia Vikander as J'aur, one of the creatures[1][6]
- Taylor Russell as Ai'dovor, one of the creatures[1][6]
- Cameron Britton as Va'migere[1]
- Eum Moon-suk as Yang-bae[7]
- Lee Sang-hee as Nak-yeon[7]
- Im Hyun-sik as Hae-sul[7]
Production
Development
Writer and director Na Hong-jin was reportedly originally collaborating on the project with Alfonso Cuarón. It is Na Hong-jin's first since The Wailing in 2016.[8] He has described how the film developed from an idea he had in 2017 or 2018 of a single image that came to him whilst eating in a restaurant.[9] It is produced by Forged Films with Plus M Entertainment distributing internationally and UTA Independent Film Group and Plus M distributing in North America. Cinematography is by Hong Kyung-pyo who also collaborated on The Wailing.[10] The budget for the film was reportedly higher than any previous Korean film.[11]
Casting
The main cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, as well as Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender, who do not speak Korean in the film.[12][13] It marks the first on-screen collaboration for real-life married couple Vikander and Fassbender since the 2016 film The Light Between Oceans.[10] In April 2023, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton joined the main cast.[14][15] The final cast includes Eum Moon-suk, Lee Sang-hee, and Im Hyun-sik in supporting roles.[7] Although Um Tae-goo and Lee Kyu-hyung were initially reported to be cast in May 2023, they do not appear in the final production and are absent from all official promotional materials and release credits.[16]
Filming
Principal photography took place in 2023 in Bukpyeong-myeon. Filming locations included Namchang in Haenam County.[17][18] Filming also took place in Romania in the area around the Retezat Mountains.[19] A sequence shot with natural daylight involving a horse riding through a forest was filmed in Retezat National Park.[20] Vikander and Russell had completed their filming block by July 2024.[21]
Release
Hope had its world premiere at the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2026,[1] marking the first South Korean film to compete for the Palme d'Or since Decision to Leave (2022). The selection makes it the fourth film by director Na Hong-jin to be screened at the festival, following The Chaser (2008) in Midnight Screenings, The Yellow Sea (2011) in Un Certain Regard section, and The Wailing (2016) in the Out of Competition section.[22]
Hope is slated for a July 15, 2026 release in South Korea.[23] Neon scheduled its theatrical release in the United States for September 9,[24] and also acquired distribution rights for other English-speaking territories.[25][26] In May 2026, Mubi acquired distribution rights in Latin America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Turkey.[27] Later that month, it was reported that Hope had pre-sold to 200 territories worldwide; among the buyers disclosed were Focus Features, which bought rights for France, the Benelux and South Africa, as well as Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, which acquired the film for Portugal, Scandinavia, Iceland, the Middle East and Israel.[28]
The film had its North American Premiere in the Centerpiece Presentation section of the 25th New York Asian Film Festival on 20 July 2026.[29] It had its UK Premiere at the 79th Edinburgh International Film Festival on 16 August 2026.[30]
Reception
Box office
On its opening weekend Hope had 1.5 million admissions in South Korea, grossing $11.3 million at the box office,topping Minions & Monsters debut weekend ($2.1 million) and Moana second weekend ($1.2 million).[31] By 2 August 2026, the film had grossed $31.1 million at the local box office.[32]
Critical response
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 44 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website’s consensus reads: "An unhinged sci-fi epic that boasts awe-inspiring production design and amusingly quaint visual effects, Na Hong-jin's Hope gets the adrenaline pumping whenever it focuses on the unraveling of its hapless human heroes."[33] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally positive" reviews.[34]
Nicholas Barber from BBC gave the movie four out of five stars.[35]
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 2026 | Palme d'Or | Na Hong-jin | Nominated | [36] |
| New York Asian Film Festival | 2026 | Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema | Won | [37] | |
| Buil Film Awards | 2026 | Best Film | Hope | Pending | [38] |
| Best Director | Na Hong-jin | Pending |
