Marking his first feature since The Wailing, Hope from director Na Hong-jin promises to be one of the year’s most ambitious cinematic experiences, blending creature horror, science fiction, mystery, and explosive action into an epic tale of survival.
Set in a remote South Korean village cut off from the outside world, the film follows local police officers, hunters, and residents as they confront a terrifying unknown force.
Starring in the film are Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton.
Hope made its world premiere in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or, and is slated to open in U.S. theaters on September 9, 2026, via Neon.
According to the official synopsis, “In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village. In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.”
Reflecting on the enormous undertaking behind the film, Na Hong-jin described the lengthy production process during an interview at Cannes: “It was the sort of film that really made me feel I’d hit a brick wall.” The filmmaker also revealed that the project required more than eight years to complete and that he has already outlined a sequel.
In his review for RogerEbert.com, Robert Daniels praised Na Hong-jin’s ambitious storytelling, writing that “Hope” is a “destabilizing yet raucously entertaining actioner”. Daniels added, “This bloody, motoring adventure relishes the unease it places on the audience, lulling one into a classic heroic Western before morphing into a surprising creature feature whose recollections of “Predator” and “Prometheus” further reckon with the morality viewers bring into sci-fi flicks.”
Watch the official trailer for Hope above.
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