Peninsula, the undead follow-up to Train to Busan, is about to leave the station.
With a U.S. theatrical release already on the cards, Yeon Sang-ho’s horror sequel will deep dive into a world torn apart by a zombie outbreak. So far, so familiar. But the 2016 original was a thrillingly unique, and remarkably well-crafted, zombie flick, so we have high hopes that Peninsula will deliver more of the same… in a good way.
Set to pick things up four years after Train to Busan, Peninsula isn’t a sequel in the strictest sense – at least not according to director Yeon Sang-ho – given the different cast of characters. That paves the way for a totally fresh story, but based on these photos from Screen Daily, it’ll retain the same style and ferocious pace as its predecessor.
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.
Starring Gang Dong-won (1987: When The Day Comes) along with Lee Jung-hyun (The Battleship Island), Train to Busan: Peninsula will seemingly take place four years after the zombie outbreak. Not only that, but with a budget in the region of $8M – twice that of its predecessor – Penisula will be much larger in scope, as Jung-seok, a “former soldier who has managed to escape overseas, is given a mission to go back and unexpectedly meets up with survivors.”
Peninsula is scheduled to launch in South Korea this summer, with a western release presumably on the cards for late 2020. One would hope that the Oscar triumph of Parasite will stir more interest in Korean cinema, as Train to Busan was arguably one of the most entertaining horror flicks of 2016.