SDCC 2026: NA Hong-jin’s Hope Panel Recap

During SDCC, 411 got the chance to check out the panel for Na Hong-jin’s unique-looking sci-fi action and horror feature, Hope. Hong-jin was on hand for his first Comic-Con International and took part in the panel, showcasing his new movie, which was also an official selection at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

It’s hard to pin down what is happening in Hope. Neon showcased the movie earlier this year at CinemaCon, and it generated some buzz and intrigue. It looks fascinating. However, it appears a small South Korean town called Hope has become ground zero for some type of alien invasion. However, it appears the town is now being plagued by vicious feral beasts of multiple shapes and sizes.

It was great to have a filmmaker like Hong-jin on hand for Comic-Con to preview his new film. He comes off like a true cinematic auteur and artisan, and he spoke about how Hope took him ten years to make, and it looks to be his most ambitious project yet.

Hong-Jin also revealed his favorite Hollywood blockbuster is Lethal Weapon, and you can see that sort of influence in some of the big action moments and character rapport in the footage that was previewed. Hong-Jin revealed two extended sequences from the film, each of which showcases two different monsters from the movie.

It’s still unclear what exactly the creatures in the movie are supposed to be, but there are some which appear to be more bipedal and humanoid in appearance. Others appear to be quadrupedal and animalistic. However, all the creatures, which may or may not be aliens, appear to be incredibly vicious, feral, and predatory in nature.

In the first sequence, the town’s police chief, Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min), is seen exploring the ruins of the now-wrecked town, and he shoots at a monster in the distance. As the scene progresses, Bum-seok and another survivor have a close encounter with one of the humanoid creatures. It weirdly resembles the Titans from Attack on Titan. I’m not certain that was one of Hong-jin’s artistic interpretations, but that’s what it reminded me of.

Another scene is more like a chase sequence, where the four-legged monster is pursuing a local hunter, Sung-ki (Zo In-sung), who is on horseback. Meanwhile, Bum-seok, one of his rookie officers, Hoyeon (Sung-ae), and another survivor attempt to help and fight off the creature to save Sung-ki.

The chaos eventually finds a sense of order, as Sung-Ki just barely manages to escape getting beheaded by the monster. It culminates in a cool, traditional action-movie type moment as Sung-ki takes one of the assault rifles and manages to blow up the creature by launching a grenade round right down its gullet.

Everything I’ve seen for Hope just makes me grow more intrigued and interested in the picture. It looks like a fun genre mash-up, mixing Hong-jin’s unique auteur styles and sensibilities.

I’m aware that notable Hollywood actors also have roles in Hope, including Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. However, they didn’t appear in any of the footage, and it’s not yet clear who they are portraying in the movie.

NA Hong-jin’s Hope will be hitting theaters in the U.S. from Neon on September 9.