Zombie movie fans should get excited as there is another Train To Busan movie on the way. Train To Busan was a Korean zombie-horror film that broke records when it was released back in 2016. But it looks like Train To Busan 2: Peninsula could be more noticeable and bloodier than ever when it comes to movie screens in 2020.
Train To Busan completely reinvigorated the tired zombie genre. With TV shows like The Walking Dead descending into boring character dramas and Hollywood movies like World War Z being strangely unfulfilling, Train To Busan once again proved that Korean cinema can always deliver some real surprises.
A Korean Breakthrough Movie
Korean cinema has served up some masterpieces in recent years. From fun monster movies like The Host and subversive sensual films such as The Handmaiden to incredible horror films like Oldboy and A Tale Of Two Sisters, it seems that this nation routinely punches above its weight.
This year witnessed The Parasite generating a lot of Oscars buzz, and it’s easy to imagine Train To Busan 2: Peninsula doing one better. Many bookmakers all over the world have already started shortlisting of Oscars’ favorites. While there are a lot of decent betting sites out there, BetEasy is a reliable choice for anyone in Australia looking to back this movie in the International Feature film category.
What We Know About Train To Busan 2: Peninsula So Far
It recently got revealed that Train To Busan 2: Peninsula will get released on 12 August 2020. Filming for the sequel has yet to begin, and there is nothing in the form of trailers. Anyhow, we can start getting a few ideas about how the movie is developing.
We can expect to see Yeon Sang-Ho in the director’s chair again. The 41-year old recently directed Psychokinesis – South Korea’s first superhero movie – and he is reportedly hard at work on the screenplay. Peninsula is just the working title for now. Still, it’s thought that this hints at a much broader scope than the previous movie which focused on only a single train route being under attack from a ravenous horde of zombies.
Other rumors about the plot include one where a cast of characters has to search across the Korean peninsula in search of an antidote to the disease that turns people into flesh-eating monsters. The original movie had to work with a relatively modest budget of $8.5 million. Still, seeing as Train To Busan made box office revenues over $87 million, we can look forward to a much more comprehensive film.
Song Joong Ki will play the lead character in Train To Busan 2: Peninsula, after star turns in Korean movies like The Battleship Island and there are hopes that he could eventually be one of the greatest Asian actors of all-time. You might even see the lead actor of the original movie Gong Yoo making a cameo return as a zombie.
Explaining The Popularity Of Train To Busan
So what was it that made Train To Busan such a global success? That is down to the fact that the zombies in this movie were faster, jerkier and weirder than the undead in other horror films. We haven’t seen anything from makeup details to twitching choreography since 28 Days Later.
Also, the movie introduced a considerable amount of depth in each character, so we actually care who will get devoured next. With a workaholic father reluctantly taking his young daughter on an ill-fated train journey to see her mother, there was enough heart to make it stand out from less emotionally mature horror movies.
Plus it had a gloriously simple premise that got carried out with the perfect amount of economy and style. While cerebrally challenged Hollywood movies like Snakes On A Plane showed that a simple idea doesn’t always translate into a full-length feature film, Train To Busan was a relentlessly energetic horror flick that never let up for a single second.
Above all, Train To Busan made it impossible for anybody to get on a passenger train without immediately checking for possible escape routes in case of a sudden zombie apocalypse.
Will Train To Busan 2: Peninsula Be A Let-down?
The zombie horror movie genre is prone to no end of disastrous sequels, follow-ups, and remakes. From the pointless remakes of Dawn of the Dead to the increasingly lame Resident Evil movies, there are plenty of reasons why many are fearing that Train To Busan 2: Peninsula could end up being a little undercooked.
Much of this could be down to the fact that bigger budgets often make for the resultant films having a lack of direction. Indonesian film The Raid was a visceral and violent martial-arts thriller that surpassed the glossier wide-screen splendor of its sequel, and it’s hoped that the new Train To Busan movie manages to retain the heart of the original.
Will There Be Another Anime Feature Like Seoul Station?
Train To Busan looks like it had always meant to be an extended series of movies. After all, the animated prequel, Seoul Station, was unveiled just a month after the movie’s release. That was also directed by Yeon Sang-ho, although he has stated that there are currently no plans for another anime movie in the series.
However, it’s worth noting that one of the Saw series co-creators, James Wan, has announced his intentions to produce an American remake of Train To Busan. Hopefully, this won’t go the way of terrible American remakes of other Korean classics like Spike Lee’s dark reimagining of Old Boy.
Wan has already found success in directing The Conjuring and Aquaman, and he’ll be working with the writer of Annabelle and The Nun in adapting the screenplay for American audiences.
While the artistic success of the American remake might be hard to predict, we’re hoping that Train To Busan 2: Peninsula could be the Korean movie event of 2020. With the promise of more zombies wreaking havoc across more extensive stretches of the Korean peninsula, it could be yet another record-breaking movie from Yeon Sang-Ho.