Much like the brain-eating creatures it depicts, the zombie movie genre has been done to death, reawakened and done to death time and time again.
However, once in a while a movie comes along which seems to breathe new life into a genre, taking a different approach and managing to offer a refreshing perspective.
2016’s Train to Busan was one such zombie film, which used the KTX bullet train from Seoul to Busan as its (station) approach, and a father and daughter duo as its human protagonists.
You can watch the trailer for the first film here:
Train to Busan’s mix of intense action sequences, gory horror and relatable characters (aside from those craving human flesh), made it a standout film in the genre, earning it 95 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and cementing itself as a fan favourite in the time since its release.
Now, it has been confirmed filming is underway for the sequel.
Titled Bando, which translates as ‘peninsula’, the upcoming film is set four years after the fateful train journey of the first movie, and will explore the how the country has coped since those terrifying events.
However, some areas and groups of survivors are still trapped by the deadly virus, and are still hoping to be rescued before it’s too late, according to Allkpop.
Director Yeon Sang-ho will return to direct the sequel, as well as writing the script, and while an exact date has not yet been announced, the sequel is on (train) track for a 2020 release.
The film’s title hints at the wider scope the sequel will be taking in. Rather than confining the action to a train and its one-way journey, the term Bando – or peninsula – refers to Korea as a whole, and the impact the events of the first film had on the country.
The plot is said to deal with a new cast of characters who search for a cure for the zombie outbreak, while many parts of the country still deal with the fallout, as ScreenRant reports.
While Gong Yoo, who played Seok-Woo in the first film, won’t be returning as the lead, it is reported he will be making a cameo, while actor Song Joong Ki plays the new lead.
I am so on-board with this.
Bando will be in cinemas in 2020.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.