Receiving both applause and a hint of bafflement at Cannes, Hope is the new monster movie from The Wailing director Na Hong-jin. Here’s the trailer: Update: It didn’t win the Palme d’Or (see below), but The Wailing director Na Hong-jin’s monster movie Hope certainly caused a fuss at Cannes. About mysterious alien creatures that descend ... Hope | The monster movie that startled Cannes has a new trailer
Receiving both applause and a hint of bafflement at Cannes, Hope is the new monster movie from The Wailing director Na Hong-jin. Here’s the trailer:
Update: It didn’t win the Palme d’Or (see below), but The Wailing director Na Hong-jin’s monster movie Hope certainly caused a fuss at Cannes.
About mysterious alien creatures that descend on a remote town in South Korea, Hope looks like an out-of-control juggernaut of a movie, with horseback chases through forests and the frantic firing of machine guns from the side windows of moving cop cars.
Also, rather incredibly, Hong-jin managed to convince Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander to appear (obscured by digital effects) as a pair of aliens. It all sounds fabulously weird, and we want to see it.
South Korea gets the film on the 15th July; the USA has it on the 9th September courtesy of Neon; no idea when the UK’s getting it. We’ll let you know if we learn of a date.
In the meantime, here’s the new trailer. It might be a bit too revealing for some, but if you’re still on the fence about it, have a look if you fancy:
Our original story follows…
18th May 2026: Gory, violent movies featuring giant monsters and alien invaders don’t usually screen in-competition at the Cannes Film Festival. And yet, among the worthy dramas in this year’s Main Competition you’ll find Hope – a 160-minute sci-fi action thriller from Korean director Na Hong-jin.
The film was screened over the weekend, and inevitably received a mixture of applause (including a seven-minute ovation at the end) and a hint of bafflement. Is this gooey genre piece really in the running for a Palme d’Or?
A trailer for Hope has since emerged via its distributor, Neon, and it looks incredible. There’s a small town left devastated by… something. There are fleeting glimpses of monsters and aliens. There are armed cops who are clearly way out of their depth. Basically, it looks like pure cinema to us.
The synopsis, if you like descriptions in italics, goes like this:
“In Hope Harbor, a remote village near the Demilitarized Zone, police chief Bum-seok receives alarming news from local youths that a tiger has appeared. As the village erupts into panic, Bum-seok is forced to confront a reality beyond belief.”
Hwang Jung-min stars as Bum-seok, the cop who soon learns that a tiger is the least worrying thing he’ll encounter that day. Incredibly, Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender and Taylor Russell are also in here – though according to World of Reel, they’re so plastered in digital makeup that you’d never know they were among the cast.
Read more: Cannes 2026 and the unanswered question about AI in cinema
Among the critical reactions so far, there have been some beefs about the visual effects and pacing, but then, it sounds as though Na Hong-jin barely got this cut of the film finished in time for the festival. It’s possible the version given a wide release will be more refined than this one.
Even if it isn’t, we’re more than intrigued to see what Na Hong-jin’s been up to here. His previous films, The Chaser (2008), The Yellow Sea (2010) and The Wailing (2016) were masterful displays of suspense, action and horror respectively.
We’ll let you know when we hear about a UK release date for Hope. Until then, here’s that trailer:
