Director Ryoo Seung-wan never imagined that a sequel to the popular 2015 crime action thriller “Veteran” would come nearly a decade later. The production team even went so far as to temporarily store a jacket worn by a key protagonist in a warehouse, thinking it would need the jacket in just a few months.
At a press conference to promote the second installment, “I, the Executioner,” in Seoul on Tuesday, the director cited the challenges of maintaining the formula of the previous success while pursuing something new as one of the primary reasons for the unexpectedly long delay.
“I couldn’t simply replicate the success of the previous one, but at the same time, I couldn’t focus solely on pursuing something entirely new,” he said. “I had to think about how to strike that balance, which made the scriptwriting process take longer than expected.”
“I, the Executioner” centers around a crisis facing the Violent Crimes Investigation Division led by detective Seo Do-cheol, portrayed by Hwang Jung-min.
Seo’s team u
ncovers a link between the murder of a professor and several previous unsolved cases, sparking concerns about the possibility of an undetected serial killer at large. As the team digs into the case, the elusive killer boldly teases them by putting out a hint online about whom he will target next, making the chaos even worse.
To strengthen their fight against this increasing danger, the team brings in fresh-faced rookie officer Park Sun-woo, played by Jung Hae-in, whose participation leads the case in surprising directions filled with unexpected turns.
The director said casting Jung was part of efforts to refresh the series by “injecting fresh blood that could contribute to the newness.”
Throughout the press event, Ryoo stressed the balance between the familiar elements that audiences loved about the first installment, “Veteran,” which drew over 13.4 million moviegoers, and the new changes that might have occurred to characters and plot lines over the past nine years.
Making the sequel even more entertaini
ng proved to be daunting, as shown by the long production time.
To create a more engaging sequel and offer viewers a richer experience from multiple perspectives, the villain in the second installment is “more elusive” and the story is “more layered,” he said.
In addition to top-flight, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, Ryoo also paid special attention to scenes that offer a glimpse into Detective Seo’s personal life. “One scene I’m particularly attached to is when Seo Do-chul returns home at dawn and wraps up his exhausting day. I really liked that scene,” he said.
Having directed a series of hit films, including “The Battleship Island” (2017), “Escape from Mogadishu” (2021) and “Smugglers” (2023), “I, the Executioner” marks Ryoo’s first attempt at a sequel to one of his movies.
“Veteran” had its international premiere in a sidebar of the 2015 Toronto festival and was chosen as the best film at the Sitges genre festival in Spain. The sequel had its global premiere in the Midnight Screenings section at
the Cannes Film Festival in May.
“I, the Executioner” is set to hit South Korean cinemas on Sept. 13.
Source: Yonhap News Agency