Korea’s “The Host” Sequel Moves to China

The South Korean international 2006 hit monster film titled “The Host” (”Gwoemul”) will get a sequel, however, the critter moves from that small Asian country to a much larger one. China’s Ning Hao (”Crazy Stone”) will write the script and direct part 2 of the film about a monster rising out of Seoul’s Han River attacking and eating folks.

The original film grossed nearly $61 million, was seen by 12 million moviegoers and sparked controversy due to its underlying political message. Hao will have to make sure his script walks a very thin-line with its politics since it will be overseen by the Communist Chinese government. His plot will deal with people’s desire for amassing money being the root cause of the monster’s next rise and not political corruption. Oh yeah! Blame those dirty capitalists, not inefficient, corrupt government bureaucracy.

Production costs for this next film will run about $12 million and will be shared between Chungerorahm in Beijing and Hong Kong’s Focus Films.

“Chinese film markets are driven by blockbusters with themes of epic drama and martial arts. It’s time to provide more varied types of commercial films,” stated Choi Yong-bae, Chungerorahm’s president.

“The Host 2″ is eyeing a release date for the end of 2009.