Movies
‘The Host 2’ Gets First Major Investment
We’re officially one step closer to getting the big bad Korean monster back to the big screen as Chungeorahm Film, the company behind the Korean monster hit The Host (Gwoemul, 2006), has announced that Singaporean film company Boku Films will invest 5 million USD for the upcoming sequel, The Host 2 (Gwoemul 2), reports Sci-Fi Japan. Read on for more details
A signing ceremony for the investment was held on July 21 (Korean date) in Puchon, where the 13th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival is currently transpiring (the festival takes place from July 16 to 26). Chungeorahm Film CEO and THE HOST 2 producer Choi Yong-bae, Boku Film CEO Kelvin Tong and director of the Singapore Film Commission Kenneth Tan attended the signing ceremony. Tan is also in charge of MDA (Media Development Authority), by which Boku Films could invest 50% of the film’s whole production cost. The amount of 5 million USD (approximately 6 billion Korean won) is the largest foreign investment for a Korean film in the history of Korean cinema.
Boku Films is one of the most prolific film companies in Singapore and is known to genre fans with such films as THE MAID (2005) and RULE #1 (Dai yat gaai, 2008), all of which were directed by CEO Kelvin Tong. Most notably, THE MAID broke box office records for a horror film in Singapore when it was first released in 2005.
MDA is a state-run organization in Singapore which was established in 2003. Its function is developing and managing content for the media industry in that country.
According to the press release, THE HOST 2 is currently in the development stage with multiple scripts (including a prequel written by comic book creator Kang Full) featuring a variety of concepts. Previously reported on B-D, we said that the sequel will have to tread carefully to avoid criticizing the Chinese government as the story will concern a calamity caused when people ignore a monster due to their desire for money.
The press release also stated that the South Korean mobile telecommunications provider SK Telecom previously invested to cover expenses for planning and development of THE HOST 2. As of this writing, there is no cast or director announced for the sequel, although it was previously reports that Ning Hao would direct.
Chungeorahm Film first announced plans for THE HOST 2 back in June, 2007 with the intention of releasing the film in 2009-10. Prior to this latest announcement, the last update regarding the movie came from Chungeorahm in January of 2008. There has been no news regarding plans for a separate sequel for THE HOST to be produced in China, but Universal Pictures has revealed that filmmaker Gore Verbinski (THE RING, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN) will produce the American remake of the first film. Universal’s remake was originally announced in late 2006.
It’s now been seven years since the release of Blumhouse’s Ma starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, with talks of a sequel dating back to last year. Last we heard, Emmy-winner Ashley Nicole Black (“Shrinking,” “Ted Lasso”) would be writing the screenplay for Ma 2, and Octavia Spencer provides an update in a new chat with Entertainment Tonight.
“We are working hard on getting a great script out. Blumhouse is the best at what they do. It’s going to be chock-full of surprises,” Octavia Spencer tells the outlet in a fresh update.
“Ma has proven to be a social phenomenon since its release in 2019, with fans eagerly embracing the film and Octavia’s iconic performance as Ma. Ma likes to say ‘Don’t make me drink alone,’ so we’re thrilled Octavia will join us again for a second round,” Blumhouse Founder/CEO Jason Blum had teased when the sequel was originally announced last Summer.
Spencer plays Sue Ann in Ma, a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own.
While no director has been announced as of yet, Tate Taylor helmed the 2019 original from a script by Scotty Landes. Taylor previously detailed that Sue Ann’s fate was intentionally ambiguous, so the door was open for a return in a possible sequel. That Ma earned more than $60 million at the box office meant a sequel was practically inevitable. It also doesn’t hurt that the character popped on social media, becoming something of a viral meme sensation.
Stay tuned for more on Ma 2 as we learn it.