14 Aug – Looks like director Yeon Sang-ho has had a change of heart. About two years ago, he denied that he would be making a "Train to Busan" sequel but now the director has confirmed that he is working on the follow-up. Not only that, Yeon also shared plenty of interesting details regarding the sequel, according to Screen Daily. For starters, it will not be called "Train to Busan 2". Its Korean working title is "Bando", meaning Peninsula. Yeon is still in the midst of writing the script and discussing the project with investor-distributor Next Entertainment World (NEW). Yeon explains, "It is an extension of "Train to Busan", after the virus has spread throughout Korea, but the characters are not the same. It shares the same world view and is a zombie action film that deals with the aftermath on the peninsula of what happened in "Train to Busan"." Since the sequel will focus on new characters, Song Joong-ki ("Battleship Island") and Lee Min-ho ("Bounty Hunters") fans can now renew their hopes of seeing either one, or both, as the new lead. The two actors have been rumoured for a starring role in a follow-up ever since rumours of a sequel started circulating a couple of years back. Yeon is aiming to begin filming "Bando" next year.
"Train to Busan" is a 2016 South Korean zombie movie that found life as the country's top grossing movie of the year, with more than 11.5 million admissions and a USD83 million gross at the local box office, based on the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) stats. Made for USD8.5 million, the movie made USD57 million outside of South Korea, topping charts in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and more. The cast included Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok (also known as Don Lee), Kim Su-an and Ahn So-hee.