EXCLUSIVE: South Korean zombie thriller Colony is set for a sequel but not on the large screen. Director Yeon Sang-ho has revealed details of a
EXCLUSIVE: South Korean zombie thriller Colony is set for a sequel but not on the large screen.
Director Yeon Sang-ho has revealed details of a novel and video game that will continue the story of the hit feature with a modern cast of characters.
“There is something in the works that we could call a sequel to Colony, which is in the form of a novel,” said the filmmaker. “That novel will be the basis of a video game.”
Speaking to Screen, Yeon said: “The novel is ready for publication and is in the final stages. We have worked on it for six months and it was quite fun working in a different medium as there’s different things you can do with characters. A film has to be more realistic.”
Colony follows a disparate group of characters who become trapped in a high-rise building after a virus is unleashed and must try to survive growing hordes of zombies, which evolve in unexpected ways.
The film premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of Cannes and was released in South Korea by Showbox on May 21, where it ranks as the second biggest film of the year to date with takings of $42.1m from more than 5.9 million admissions.
It opened the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on July 10 and is set for a US release through Well Go USA on August 28.
In New York, Yeon showed concept images to Screen, which included characters not seen in the film and a variety of different settings, such as a facility holding zombies that have stopped moving.
South Korean video game company Smilegate is credited as a co-producer of Colony and Yeon believes the firm will also spearhead a game that spins off from the film and novel.
“We’re still figuring out if it will be a video game or online game,” said Yeon. “Seo Young-chul, the villain [in Colony], may make an appearance in a different form but I don’t want to say too much. The way the zombies evolve will take a different turn in the game and it will be much more action oriented.”
The filmmaker, who recently collaborated with Japan’s Toho on a reboot of sci-fi crime thriller Human Vapor for Netflix, said he was inspired by Japan’s approach to IP when sketching out the story of Colony.
“The reason I’m collaborating with the gaming industry is because I’ve been very envious of the anime and manga industry in Japan, where they expand their content into several different mediums,” he explained. “So when I was thinking of this project, I considered which industry has the same market capacity as the film industry and that’s when gaming came to mind.”
The box office performance of Colony contributed a major boost so South Korean theatres, which have struggled to bring back audiences in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Reflecting on the success of the film, Yeon said: “It’s refreshing to see the change in Korean movie audiences. The generation of movie-going audiences has changed from people in their 30s and 40s to people in their 20s.
“When we think about why this is, I think it’s because Netflix and streaming services are offering viewers an easier viewing experience. You don’t have to go anywhere and can enjoy in the comfort of your home. But with this ease comes a reluctance to watch projects with longer runtimes. People are finding it harder to focus for longer periods of time which is why YouTube reels and shortform content goes around more these days.
“Conversely, people in their 20s, who are inundated with these very short projects, are actively coming to the theatre in pursuit of something longer. It’s an interesting phenomenon.”
At NYAFF, Yeon also introduced a modern 4K restoration of his live-action feature debut Train To Busan, which premiered at Cannes in 2016 and was South Korea’s biggest box office hit of the year, grossing $62.9m from more than 11.5 million admissions.
Next up from the filmmaker is Paradise Lost, which was shot this year and is about a mother who recreates her deceased son using AI – only to have her presumed dead son reappear some years later. The cast is led by Kim Hyun-joo and Bae Hyeon-Seong, both from Yeon’s Netflix series Hellbound.
Yeon added that he will shoot two more features this year, with further details under wraps.
