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‘Rampant,’ a zombie blockbuster set in the Joseon era

September 28, 2018

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) — Kim Sung-hoon, who directed “Confidential Assignment,” a 2017 box office hit about an inter-Korean police mission, will return with “Rampant” next month.

Set in the Joseon era (1392-1910), the movie is an action blockbuster depicting a prince’s bloody battle against an evil man who tries to overthrow the country by taking advantage of massive attacks by Night Demons “that are neither alive nor dead.”

The film has been billed as a zombie thriller set in the Joseon era because of its subject of a ghost that bites people and sucks their blood.

“Night Monsters are active only at night. You can’t tell it’s brand new, but it has something different from creatures in other movies. It’s a fresh creature we created for the movie,” Kim said of the monsters in his film during a press conference to promote the film at a Seoul theater on Friday.

Hyunbin, the star of “Confidential Assignment,” worked again with the director for the new action movie. He plays Lee Chung, the Joseon prince and swordsman who returns from a long imprisonment abroad to save his country from crisis.

An English poster for “Rampant” (Yonhap)

“I was drawn to the tension and freshness created by its setting in the Joseon era and the subject of Night Demons,” the actor said, adding that he also liked how his character experiences changes as he meets people and fights against the monsters.

Asked about his second collaboration with the director, he said, “It was easier to work because I have worked with him before. So we had in mind the common thought that we should go deeper with action and make it stronger and different.”

Veteran actor Jang Dong-gun plays the villain named Kim Ja-joon, an influential king’s subject who helps the prince while harboring a hidden vicious ambition to take control of the nation.

A scene from “Rampant” (Yonhap)

Jang said Hyunbin was one of the main reasons why he chose to be in the film.

“We’ve done almost everything together except for work. Since this marks our first work together, I thought it would be a good chance.”

He said actors who play opposite roles usually try to distance themselves from one another when filming scenes but that he had fun working with Hyunbin because he is a very close friend.

Cho Woo-jin and Kim Eui-sung of the popular historical television drama series “Mr. Sunshine” play the king’s best military officer and the fictional lunatic Joseon king Ijo, respectively.

The Next Entertainment World presentation is to open in theaters on Oct. 25.