'Hoff' Sequel Plans..Director Na Hong-jin: "I Really Don't Know" [Photo Gallery]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Na Hong-jin of 'Hoff' has shared his thoughts on a potential sequel.

On the 20th, fashion magazine Elle released photo shoots and an interview with director Na Hong-jin, marking his return with the new film 'Hoff' after a decade since 'The Wailing'.

Director Na Hong-jin openly discussed the intense production process of 'Hoff', which spanned from its invitation to the competition section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival until just before its release. He stated, "It's a film with over 400 creature shots," noting that visual effects and sound post-production continued right up until the screening. He added that he could even say, "The movie isn't finished yet," revealing that he kept refining the work until the very last moment.

'Hoff' is a large-scale creature film depicting a collision between humans and extraterrestrial life in broad daylight. Director Na Hong-jin said, "As soon as the script was ready, I told the head of a VFX (visual effects production technique) company to meet me in Pohang." He explained, "I thought our country's VFX industry should tackle this kind of project and achieve a certain level of quality. It wasn't about following the grammar of existing creature films; it was like starting from scratch with no Navy Headquarters reference. There are no precedents for daytime creatures. We began from absolute zero."

The reason Director Na Hong-jin started 'Hoff' was not simply a challenge to the sci-fi or creature genres. Referencing the era when streaming services became mainstream, he continued, "The kind of entertainment I wanted to see in theaters was gradually disappearing. So, I decided to start by making it myself." The film's visuals also carry a special philosophy. Explaining his collaboration with cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, Na Hong-jin conveyed that he wanted to infuse the entire mise-en-scène of 'Hoff' with a "retro" sensibility. He answered that through vintage lenses and classic screen composition, he aimed to complete a classic genre film for today's era, adding, "I've watched 'Hoff' over 1,000 times since making it, and the feeling still feels incredibly good." This expressed his deep affection for the film's mise-en-scène. Additionally, he shared that the actors' action sequences were filmed as much as possible without relying on CG, aiming to capture the emotional impact of human-made spectacles on the screen.

In the interview, details about working with actors including Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander were also revealed. Director Na Hong-jin said, "No single shot was easy," and expressed gratitude, stating, "Thanks to the actors trusting us on set and staying until the end, we were able to create perfect harmony." Particularly regarding Michael Fassbender's deep immersion in motion capture acting, he remarked, "It was incredibly impressive to see him surrounded by people he didn't know, wearing machines all over his body while performing." He added with a laugh, "Good heavens, why did I cover this person with CG? I should have just shown his face," which drew laughter from the staff present at the interview.

Finally, regarding how to watch 'Hoff', he explained, "Please accept the film's visuals and sound exactly as they are, with your whole body." Along with a request for viewers to fully experience the visuals and sound rather than interpreting the film like text, when asked about a sequel, he replied, "I really don't know. Because you cannot make a film of this scale with capital of this size." When asked about Director Na Hong-jin's 'Hoff' question, he concluded, "It's about continuing to make films for a long time. I want to create works for a long period, but I don't want to do the same thing twice."

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*This content was translated by AI.