‘Hope’ teaser drops as Na Hong-jin’s creature feature stuns Cannes
South Korean director Na Hong-jin has unveiled the first teaser for Hope, his long-awaited cosmic creature feature that just premiered in Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival — drawing a six-minute standing ovation from the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
TL;DR
- Neon dropped the Hope teaser on 18 May 2026, confirming a fall 2026 theatrical release.
- The film had its world premiere in Main Competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it drew a six-minute standing ovation.
- The cast includes Korean stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon alongside Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell.
- Neon holds UK and US rights; no UK release date has been confirmed yet.
What is ‘Hope’ about?
Set in the remote coastal village of Hope Harbor near South Korea’s Demilitarized Zone, Hope follows police chief Bum-seok — played by Hwang Jung-min — and officer Sung-ae, played by Hoyeon, who are called in after a mysterious creature lays waste to the town.
In the nearby forest, a group of hunters led by Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) sets out to track the beast — and finds itself hunted instead. According to the film’s official synopsis, “what begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.”
Ten years in the making
Hope marks Na Hong-jin‘s first feature since The Wailing in 2016. The director told Deadline he drew inspiration from American action films of the eighties and nineties — from Duel to Die Hard — wanting that “lone hero cop” energy at the centre of the story.
The project reportedly carries the largest budget in Korean film history. IndieWire noted a rumoured budget of ₩50 billion (approximately $33 million USD), which gives the film a scale unlike anything the Korean industry has previously produced.
A star-studded international cast
Hope is Na’s first film to blend Korean and Hollywood talent. Fassbender and Vikander — Oscar winners married in real life — appear in roles that were kept firmly under wraps until Cannes.
At the festival press conference, Vikander said she was drawn to the project immediately. “I just fell in love with Asian cinema,” she said, according to Comic Book Movie. “I didn’t think, I said yes.”
Fassbender, characteristically brief, attributed his decision to his wife: “Alicia told me to do it.”
Taylor Russell (Bones and All) and Cameron Britton (Mindhunter) complete the international contingent. Hoyeon, best known for Squid Game, makes her big-screen debut with the film.
What critics are saying at Cannes
Reaction from the Croisette has been sharply divided. Variety‘s critic described the first hour as “wildly entertaining,” calling it an expensive riff on Tremors elevated by cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo’s “insolently graceful” camera work.
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called Hope “a wildly entertaining assault of turbo-charged thrills,” adding it was “a great feeling to know from a movie’s first frames that you’re in the hands of an assured genre auteur,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Not everyone was convinced. IndieWire’s critic argued the film “first gives you the hope of being great” before the creature effects undermine it — comparing a late Fassbender sequence to The Mummy Returns‘ infamous Scorpion King. The film currently sits at 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sequel already planned
Na confirmed at Cannes that a follow-up is already scripted. “I think you can readily imagine this sequel,” he told reporters at the press conference, according to Comic Book Movie.
The film runs 160 minutes and is listed among this year’s Palme d’Or contenders — though its status as a crowd-pleasing genre epic makes it an unusual fit for the competition lineup.
UK release: what we know
Neon holds UK distribution rights to Hope alongside the US and Australia. As Empire Online confirmed, no UK release date has been set, though a fall 2026 window applies to North America. South Korean cinemas are expected to receive the film first, this summer.
A BBFC classification has not yet been issued. Given the film’s reported level of gore and creature violence, genre fans should expect a likely 15 or 18 certificate when the rating is confirmed ahead of UK theatrical release.
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 160 minutes |
| US distributor | Neon |
| UK distributor | Neon |
| Cannes section | Main Competition 2026 |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 75% (at time of writing) |
Source: Deadline, Rotten Tomatoes
Watch the teaser
Neon posted the official teaser on 18 May 2026 via X:
NEON (@neonrated). “A glimpse of HOPE. A new film from Na Hong-Jin… Coming to theaters Fall 2026.” X, 18 May 2026. https://twitter.com/neonrated/status/…
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Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 20 May 2026.
Lewis Calvert Founder & Editor, BriefLedger
Lewis founded BriefLedger and has six years of experience covering film, TV, and entertainment news. He leads the site’s Movies and TV sections and runs the news desk — always with a straight-talking British take.
