For many, “Train to Busan” is one of the best modern zombie films. By taking the tried and true premise of a zombie apocalypse and putting it in the harsh confines of a moving train, ‘Busan’ is a truly original film that is able to create tension and truly amazing moments in a way that other zombie films so often fail to do. And now, several years after the first film hit theaters, the sequel, “Peninsula” is prepping for its debut and Screen Daily has provided a first look at the film.
Filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, who directed the first film, explained the premise of the highly-anticipated sequel, “It takes place four years after ‘Train To Busan,’ in the same universe, but it doesn’t continue the story and has different characters. Government authority has been decimated after the zombie outbreak in Korea, and there is nothing left except the geographical traits of the location – which is why the film is called ‘Peninsula.’”
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One major difference between ‘Train’ and “Peninsula” isn’t just the storyline, but also the scale of the film. Whereas some filmmakers would immediately try to put the action back on a train for the sequel, Yeon had other ideas, which led to a much larger film.
“The scale of ‘Peninsula’ can’t compare to ‘Train To Busan,’ it makes it look like an independent film,” said Yeon. “‘Train To Busan’ was a high-concept film shot in narrow spaces whereas ‘Peninsula’ has a much wider scope of movement.”
The allure of the sequel isn’t something that first struck the filmmaker. However, upon reconsidering the type of stories he could tell in the world created by ‘Train,’ the idea of keeping the story became more appealing.
“But the idea of being able to build a post-apocalyptic world – which would be sort of savage but also in a way like ancient times, or like ruined modern times, with rules of its own – was interesting to me,” the filmmaker said.
He added, ”There could be many stories that could keep coming out of that world. Destroyed, isolated, extreme, but with hope of escape and humanism, and the way world powers would look at this place. There could be a lot of material with a lot of greater significance.”
As of now, “Peninsula” is expected to hit theaters this summer in South Korea, with a worldwide release to follow. We’ll just have to see if the real-life pandemic affecting the globe will end up delaying the film’s release.
You can see the new photos below:
