Returned 10 Million Director Choi Dong-hoon: "I Made 'Alien+In' as Fun as 'Avengers'"

'Alien+In' Press Screening Site
'The Thieves'·'Assassination' Director Choi Dong-hoon’s New Work After 7 Years
Starring Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, Kim Tae-ri
"A New Genre, Challenging Without Fear"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "I loved going to the theater as a child, and when the lights went out and the movie started, I felt incredibly happy. As a director, I desperately wanted to give that happiness to the audience. While writing the script for 'Alien+In', I felt like I was getting younger. I guess I needed youth too."(Director Choi Dong-hoon)

Director Choi Dong-hoon, who directed 'Tazza' (2006) and 'Jeon Woo-chi' (2009), as well as the 10-million viewer films 'The Thieves' (2012) and 'Assassination' (2015), is returning with a new movie after 7 years. The director said, "I wanted to make a movie as fun as 'The Avengers' but in a Korean way."

On the afternoon of the 13th, at the press screening of the first part of the movie 'Alien+In' held at CGV Yongsan in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Director Choi greeted, "It was the rainy season during filming, and it rained for 46 days straight. It’s raining heavily today as well." He then joked, "If aliens appeared, I think I’d be the first to die. They’d say, 'What do you know to have made our movie?'" which brought laughter.

'Alien+In' Part 1 is a film depicting a story where the gate of time opens between Taoists trying to obtain a legendary divine sword rumored in the late Goryeo period and those chasing an alien prisoner imprisoned inside a human body in 2022. The simultaneously produced Part 2 will be released in 2023. The director said, "They say there are no new stories under the sky, but I wanted to create a fresh structure. I wrote the script for two years, and some lines were revised 50 to 60 times. I wanted to give the audience fun that defies expectations."

Guard (played by Kim Woo-bin) and Thunder (voiced by Kim Dae-myung), who have stayed on Earth for a long time managing an alien prisoner trapped in a human body, face a crisis due to the prisoner's sudden escape attempt. The robot, spaceship, and aliens of Guard feature impressive, spectacular action.

Director Choi said, "Both the alien spaceship and aliens were difficult to create without the help of special effects (CG). I studied CG while filming. The hardest part was the design. We sought a boundary that was neither strange nor familiar. I wanted to show the scenes simply. We prepared a lot and communicated thoroughly."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ryu Jun-yeol, who played the pseudo-Taoist Mureuk and performed significant action scenes, said, "I studied Hong Kong and Chinese martial arts films with the director. I trained my body focusing on gymnastics for six months to over a year. I worked hard to synchronize well with more than ten crew members."

Kim Tae-ri, who played Ian, carrying a pistol in the late Goryeo period, was surprised by Director Choi Dong-hoon's detailed directing. "The director gave detailed instructions down to the shape of the fingers during martial arts scenes. I even asked, 'Should I extend two fingers and fold three?' while acting."

Korean Taoist magic and SF meet to create a unique color. Director Choi said, "There are countless Taoist magic techniques in the Samguk Yusa, but I couldn’t show them all, which is a regret. If I get the chance, I want to try them all."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

"When I say I want to make a movie like this, most people oppose it. When someone asks, 'Will it be easy to approach Korean audiences?' it sparks a rebellious feeling. Is that really the case? Aren’t we the ones confining ourselves in a box when making movies? Aren’t audiences ready to watch anything? I thought if we work hard and put in effort, it would connect well. After 13 years since 'Jeon Woo-chi', I’m presenting a new movie through genre hybridization. I believe it aligns with the changes in Korean cinema. I challenged it without fear."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.