Korea Falls in Love with Sequels

There's usually a direct correlation between the health of a film industry and the amount of sequels it produces, at least when it comes to Chungmuro. Whereas you'd find the 60s littered with all sorts of franchises (from action to melodramas), all you could find in the 1990s of the pre-renaissance were timid attempts to bank on a hit's success, like in the case of 투캅스 (Two Cops) or the 깡패수업 (Hoodlum Lessons) series, which went from a Kitano-esque black comedy to a lurid straight-to-video nostalgia trip with "stars" of dubious relevance. It would be hard to call today's industry healthy, as the majority of films struggle to break even while two-three juggernauts by the majors break records left and right, but sequel fever has made its return in full force, and is likely to become one of the leading trends of 2010, for better or worse.

Projects like 괴물2 (The Host 2) need very little introduction, other than two basic details: the former will neither star Song Kang-Ho (or likely any of the original's cast) not be directed by Bong Joon-Ho, which might morph our overgrown squid from its social satire-cum-monster flick genesis into a glitzy Korean rendering of the CG blockbuster canon; the latter is to be directed by Jang Joon-Hwan of 지구를 지켜라 (Save the Green Planet) fame, which might ensure that we'll get something not as slick and stylish as what Choi Dong-Hoon served, but perhaps a little crazier and in tune with genre sensibilities. But this is merely the tip of the iceberg, and involves two acclaimed and successful films. The rest of the sequels planned for 2010 will raise eyebrows both for the diversity and sometimes peculiarity of the choices on display. Here's a (not exactly comprehensive) list of what we're about to see.

- 고死2 (Death Bell 2)
We already mentioned this last week, noting how Ahn Byung-Gi's Toilet Pictures and Kim Gwang-Soo's Core Contents Media will join forces for another serving of one of 2008's biggest surprises, a teen slasher shot for peanuts and aggressively marketed on TV through its young stars. Should the sequel work, we might have another high school horror franchise on our hands, but considering the involvement of Kim (one of the biggest names in the Korean music industry), we're more likely to get copious amounts of boy/girl group alumni shoved down our throat than the impressive array of young talent which the 여고괴담 (Whispering Corridors) franchise brought us.

- 빨간 마후라: 잊혀진 영웅들 (Red Muffler - Forgotten Heroes)
On the surface, it's just a sequel to Shin Sang-Ok's 1960s deliriously fun potboiler, but what this sequel is more likely to turn into is a sanctimonious exercise in flag waving, starring a few celebrities currently in the military, pushing the right buttons (particularly when you consider that it's being funded by the Korean Air Force), and offering little in the way of cinematic flair. Director is Kim Young-Bin of 테러리스트 (Terrorist).

- 식객 - 김치전쟁 (Le Grand Chef 2 - Kimchi War)
The last few years must have been quite the bittersweet period for manhwa legend Heo Young-Man, as two of his most famous franchises (Tazza and this one) made their way to both the small and big screen, but none of them with the exception of Choi Dong-Hoon's 2006 original managed to faithfully represent the depth and pizzazz of Heo's style, particularly the hackneyed big screen rendition of his food-related 식객 (Gourmet). But the film made it big at the box office, so we're getting a sequel, this time focusing on kimchi and directed by newcomer Baek Dong-Hoon. At least the cast is pretty good, with Jin Gu of 마더 (Mother), Wang Ji-Hye of 친구 - 우리들의 전설 (Friend - Our Legend) and Kim Jung-Eun.

- 모녀는 괴로워 (200 Pounds Beauty Sequel)
With over six million tickets sold and a musical based on the film, Kim Yong-Hwa's 2006 romcom 미녀는 괴로워 (200 Pounds Beauty) was one of the biggest hits of recent memory, rejuvenating Ju Jin-Mo's career and bringing Kim Ah-Joong into the A-list of Chungmuro actresses. Now KM Culture is producing a sequel written and directed by Kim Jung-Min of 당신이 잠든 사이에 (One Shot). This time the focus will move onto a mother whose daughter looks suspiciously like her pre-surgery days, predictably creating quite the headache. The theme will move away from the Shallow Hal-like trappings of the first and into the surgery craze amongst middle-aged women.

- 넘버3 2 (No. 3 Sequel)
Now this is fascinating. Or, depending on how you approach the idea, depressing. Song Neung-Han's 넘버3 (No. 3) from 1997 is pretty much one of the two-three best Korean black comedies of the last thirty years, and without a doubt the must pungent satire about the Korean underworld Chungmuro has produced, so you kind of wonder how they could ever top the first and its cult-like status. The suspicion this might indeed stink further increases when you consider that Jung Yong-Gi of 원스어폰어타임 (Once Upon a Time) is directing, not exactly the subtlest of Korean directors. And with no chances of the original cast (Han Suk-Gyu, Lee Mi-Yeon, Song Kang-Ho, Choi Min-Shik, Ahn Seok-Hwan et al) coming back, you kind of wonder what's the point.

- 주유소 습격사건 2 (Attack the Gas Station 1999)
Ten years have passed since Kim Sang-Jin's dorky, energetic comedy 주유소 습격사건 (Attack the Gas Station), and the Korean king of comedies is coming back with a sequel. The first's cast featured quite the number of current top stars, including Lee Sung-Jae, Yoo Ji-Tae, Lee Yo-Won and Kim Soo-Ro, and while it's unlikely the sequel's cast will produce the same results (Ji Hyun-Woo and Jo Han-Sun are the biggest names), the interesting news is that Park Young-Gyu (the singing gas station owner from the first) is making his return after a long hiatus spent living overseas.

And there's more. Other names mentioned are:
- A sequel to Kim Tae-Gyun's 2001 actioner 화산고 (Volcano High)
- A sequel to Kwak Jae-Yong's 2001 megahit romcom 엽기적인 그녀 (My Sassy Girl)
- A sequel to the Im Soo-Jung 2006 melodrama 각설탕 (Lump Sugar)
- Believe it or not, a sequel to the 2006 Disney Channel-like melodrama 마음이 (Hearty Paws)

With remakes of classics like 만추 (Late Autumn) and 하녀 (The Housemaid) in the making, live-action renditions of animation classics like 로보트 태권 V (Robot Taekwon V) and a host of sequels, it looks like 2010's Korean cinema will be filled with familiar faces. Now, whether that's a good or bad thing....

[Nate News]