Korean film-actor

▲ Actor Ma Dong-seok speaks during a press conference to promote his new film "Badland Hunters" at a Seoul hotel on Jan. 16, 2024. (Yonhap)

▲ The cast and director of the new Korean film "Badland Hunters" attend a press conference to promote the film at a Seoul hotel on Jan. 16, 2024. (Yonhap)

Korean film-actor

Ma Dong-seok's signature action gets upgrade in 'Badland Hunters'

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- Actor Ma Dong-seok of the successful Korean action-comedy film franchise "The Roundup" returns as the hero in the upcoming post-apocalyptic film "Badland Hunters."

Scheduled for an exclusive release on Netflix on Jan. 26, the new Korean film looks to captivate viewers with a fresh style of action, distinct from Ma's previous works in the genre.

"It features many different action sequences involving a variety of weapons, including rifles, shotguns and machetes, in addition to my trademark hand-to-hand fights," Ma said during a press conference to promote the project in Seoul on Tuesday. "I took extra care to ensure my action moves look stronger and more impactful."

Ma plays a fearless huntsman named Nam-san, teaming up with his partner Ji-wan (Lee Jun-young), to rescue a teenager abducted by a mad medical doctor conducting human experiments in post-apocalyptic Seoul, now a lawless wasteland following a devastating earthquake.

Actors Lee Hee-joon and Roh Jeong-eui take on the roles of the doctor and the kidnapped girl, respectively.

Ma, also known by his English name Don Lee, reunited once more with Heo Myeong-hoeng, the stunt coordinator behind the "The Roundup" franchise, for "Badland Hunters," which marks Heo's directorial debut.

Ma was also actively involved in the planning and production of the film.

When asked about his decision to join the project, he revealed that after collaborating on numerous films with Heo, he had been searching for the perfect opportunity for Heo's directorial debut.

"The timing was just right, and I proposed to work on this film together," he explained. "Having confidence in him, I knew he would handle it exceptionally well."

Heo said he was "dumbstruck" by the surprise proposal, going beyond mere happiness.

"I thought, 'Is this really happening?" he added.

After doing numerous films together, they both recognized the exceptional chemistry they shared on set.

"Since we have collaborated on so many titles together, I felt no sense of difference on the set. If we focused only on action before, I found it interesting and enjoyable to also work on the dialogues of the drama this time," the director said.

The duo also collaborated on "The Roundup: Punishment," the fourth installment in the hit film franchise, slated for theatrical release this year. The film has been invited to the special gala section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, set to kick off next month.

"Badland Hunters" has been considered by some to be a sequel to "Concrete Utopia," the acclaimed Korean film released in August, or at least part of the same fictional universe established by the film.

However, the director corrected this information, emphasizing his film is not a sequel. "It's an independent work with a totally different universe and plot."

"Some people say zombies appear in our film, but the truth is, there are no zombies," Ma said. "It features a different kind of creature."

(END)

[Copyright ⓒ K-VIBE. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.]