By Xu Aiying
Video = Plus M Entertainment's official YouTube channel

The science-fiction thriller "Hope" by director Na Hong-jin is one of the highlights of the summer box office season.

Set for domestic release on July 15, the film depicts the struggles of residents of a village near the Demilitarized Zone who fight unidentified aliens who crash-land there.

As Na's first film in 10 years since "The Wailing," the movie features a star-studded domestic cast of Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon along with famous foreign actors playing the aliens: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.

The director and cast on July 6 attended a media screening and news conference at Megabox Theater inside the convention center and mall Coex in Seoul's Gangnam-gu District.

On the main differences between "Hope" and "The Wailing," Na cited the level of violence and the method of storytelling.

"I thought this movie would have a lower level of violence than my previous work," he said. "Unlike 'The Wailing,' 'Hope' is a film in which the plot should be conveyed through action."

"We paid the most attention to the action sequences of our cast and their safety. After creating the storyboards and plot outlines, we spent a lot of time discussing with the crew how to actually film those scenes," he added. "The preparation process to bring that to life was long, and we placed most of our efforts on that."

Featuring battles against the aliens in high-octane action scenes, "Hope" has Zo presenting thrills and suspense while riding galloping horses and speeding vehicles.

Acting opposite unknown entities was also challenging for the actors.

"It was my first time acting without a scene partner," Hwang said. "I had to maximize my emotions solely through the imagination in my head and had to adjust my gaze based on the director's instructions."

"It was different from the kind of acting where you react to your partner actor's performance, so it required its own set of calculations."

Jung, starring in her first film since appearing on the first season of the smash-hit Netflix TV series "Squid Game," described what her experience working with Hwang and Zo.

"Just being on set with both of them was a huge challenge in itself," he said. "We had a lot of communication through eye contact instead of words, so maintaining that pace was overwhelming at first, but I felt that we became one as filming progressed."

In May, "Hope" was officially invited to the Competition section of this year's Cannes Film Festival. Its presale to over 200 countries also set a record-high price for a Korean movie.

Hwang said the movie will be released in September in North America, adding, "I hope for the day when Korean films are loved by viewers the world over and make everyone happy and laugh together."

"I feel that I've watched this movie thousands of times by now," Na said. "Even today, I'm debating whether to do more post-production work but I want to do my best right up until the film's release to avoid any regrets."

xuaiy@korea.kr