"Hope" Director Na Hong-jin: "The Idea That Zo In-sung Is Half Alien Was Just a Joke"...Casting With a Sequel in Mind [Interview]

[Financial News] In the film "Hope," Zo In-sung shows superhuman vitality. After being brutally attacked by a massive alien with steel-like skin, he gets back up and runs away. He even goes on the offensive, unleashing extraordinary strength in a desperate counterattack.
That led to a question during an interview with director Na Hong-jin at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the 8th: "Is Zo In-sung half alien?"
Na replied, "We joke about that among ourselves, but that is not the setup," adding that the character was designed to maximize the traits of a human struggling fiercely to survive.
He also revealed the story behind the character names. The character played by Jung Ho-yeon is named Seong-ae, while the character played by Zo In-sung is Sung-gi, so both share the same first syllable "Seong" even though they are not siblings.
Na said there was no special intention behind it. Laughing, he said, "I just thought Sung-gi would be a good name."
As for the background behind the name Seong-ae, he said, "There was a young woman at an airport in a cold foreign country who was guiding a small plane onto the runway," and added, "She was directing the aircraft with great professionalism, without even wearing gloves. She looked so cool that I suddenly thought, 'I want to capture a woman like that,' and that became Seong-ae."

The film offers very little explanation about the aliens. Even the conversations they share are not translated into subtitles until just before the end. That makes the different designs for each alien feel somewhat puzzling. The first alien audiences encounter, in particular, resembles a darkened version of "Avatar," and some viewers are reminded of the Japanese anime "Attack on Titan." This alien, a lower-class being called Bamigir, is played by actor Cameron Britton.
Michael Fassbender's Mabeiyo appears in the latter half of the film as a warrior and soldier who serves the empress. He boasts the most imposing physique among the aliens and mercilessly throws around Sung-gi, played by Zo In-sung. Alicia Vikander plays the empress, Jor, while Taylor Russell portrays Jor's maid, Aidobor, each showing distinct appearances and movements.
Na said, "I started designing them in 2018 and kept revising them for eight or nine years. Matching the characters with the actors was not easy."
The alien designs were aimed at breaking away from the usual conventions of existing sci-fi films. He explained, "I wanted the design to make people think, 'What is this? What exactly is it?' The goal was for them not to look like aliens at first glance."
He added, "These are not so much a single species as beings who may or may not have known one another inside a huge spaceship. Their status, roles, and origins are all different. I varied the designs accordingly."
The reason Hollywood actors were cast as aliens appears to be a choice made with the larger conflict between humans and aliens, as well as a possible sequel, in mind.
Na said, "The two biggest central figures are Beom-seok, played by Hwang Jung-min, and Jor, played by Alicia," adding, "If another film is made, their stories will inevitably become very important."
The decision was also made with overseas markets in mind. Na said, "When I was planning the film, I saw dark clouds gathering over the industry and realized that relying only on the domestic market would no longer be enough." "Hope" will open in North America on September 9.

jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-a Reporter