Na Hong-Jin Makes Comic-Con Debut With Frightening 'Hope' Clips
South Korean director Na Hong-Jin made his San Diego Comic-Con debut to preview Neon’s alien action movie Hope, screening frightening exclusive footage and calling casting Squid Game breakout Hoyeon one of his best decisions. That is why director hongjin makes comiccon buzz so urgent ahead of the U.S. release.
Key Takeaways
- Na Hong-Jin debuted at San Diego Comic-Con with exclusive, previously unseen Hope footage for attendees.
- He said casting Hoyeon as a tenacious police officer was among the best decisions on his 10-year passion project.
- The clips included a wreckage firefight ending in a giant-alien reveal and a highway chase with a horse-to-car leap.
- Hope, which also stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, is set for a Neon U.S. release on Sept. 9.
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What Did Director Na Hong-Jin Show at Comic-Con?
According to Variety, Na used his first San Diego Comic-Con appearance to introduce Neon’s alien action thriller Hope. Hoyeon delivered a special video message that framed two clips screened only for the hall.
The first sequence follows Hwang Jung-min and a group of men blasting through their town’s wreckage before they finally face the gigantic alien hunting them. The second stretches out a chase in which a character leaps from a horse into a police car while a fanged creature pursues them down a highway.
After the footage landed, Na noted those weren’t the hardest scenes to film. That distinction, he said, belongs to another chase with characters fleeing through a forest on horseback.
Why Was Casting Hoyeon His Best Decision?
Hope stars Hoyeon, who broke out internationally with her Emmy-nominated turn in Netflix’s Squid Game. Na told Variety that bringing her aboard was one of the best decisions he made while finishing a project he has chased for a decade.
Lead actor Hwang Jung-min recommended her for the tenacious police-officer role, telling Na that meeting her reveals how special she is. Na set up a meeting soon after. She read the script over takeout and quickly signed on.
When Does Hope Hit U.S. Theaters—and Why Does It Matter?
Beyond Hoyeon and Hwang, the cast includes Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton. Hope premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where Variety says it electrified audiences.
Neon aims to carry that heat into North America with a Sept. 9 theatrical release. At Cannes, Na also revealed he has plans for a sequel, raising the stakes of this Comic-Con first look for genre fans waiting on the next big alien chase.
The debut matters because it pairs never-before-seen action with a clear release window and a director openly praising Hoyeon as a defining casting choice. For U.S. and U.K. audiences, Comic-Con just turned Hope from a Cannes conversation into a countdown.