NEON has released the first teaser trailer for Hope, the new thriller from The Wailing director Na Hong-jin that premiered in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. The film stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Squid Game breakout Hoyeon alongside an international cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.
Set in the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor near the DMZ, the story follows police officers, hunters and villagers after a mysterious creature begins terrorising the area. As communication collapses and fear spreads through the isolated community, the situation spirals into violence. The teaser keeps most of the creature hidden, instead building through atmosphere, panic and flashes of large-scale destruction. Which, honestly, only makes the whole thing more unsettling.
According to Cannes details, the film runs for 160 minutes and blends sci-fi, horror and mystery elements on a much bigger scale than Na’s previous work. The director previously described the project as exploring human conflict and disaster “on a cosmic scale.”
Hope marks Na Hong-jin’s first feature since 2016’s The Wailing, the acclaimed folk-horror thriller that became one of the defining genre films of the last decade. Early reactions from Cannes have already been extremely strong, with reports describing loud audience reactions throughout the screening and one of the festival’s biggest standing ovations so far this year.
The film also appears to continue Na’s fascination with communities falling apart under pressure, where fear, suspicion and helplessness often become just as dangerous as whatever threat is lurking nearby.
For CultureCues, Hope already feels like one of those films people are going to spend months obsessing over online. A Na Hong-jin horror epic with cosmic dread, a stacked international cast and a 160-minute runtime that reportedly gets increasingly unhinged as it goes on? Yes, we are seated. Nervously, but seated.
Hope is set to release in cinemas this autumn. Watch the teaser trailer below.
Nikki Murray is a UK-based writer, screenwriter and founder & editor of CultureCues, covering film, television, music and pop culture. Her work focuses on storytelling and the moments shaping modern entertainment.