Netflix’s ‘Hellbound’ to continue story with ‘new and unexpected’ turns in second season

“For those who liked the first season, season two is a work filled with incredibly interesting questions,” director Yeon Sang-ho said during the upcoming season’s press conference held in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Monday.

Directed by Yeon, who took the helm of the series’ previous season and horror film “Train to Busan” (2016), and co-written by director Yeon and Choi Gyu-seok, the second season continues where the first season left off, with the founder of religious cult the New Truth, Jung Jin-su, disappearing and the single mother of two children, Park Jung-ja, having been sent to hell for damnation.

The second season revolves around a chaotic society and the entanglement of religious factions the New Truth, the Arrowheads and Sodo leader Min Hye-jin, after the sudden resurrections of the formerly condemned Jin-su and Jung-ja.

Based on a webtoon of the same name (2019-20), made by Yeon and Choi, the director also teased that the series’ ending will be slightly different from the original cartoon.

The series also premiered its first three episodes during this year’s Busan International Film Festival.

The previous season, released in 2021, attracted major international popularity, ranking No. 1 on American film and television review website Rotten Tomatoes’ “Best Horror Series 2021” list and topping Netflix’s top 10 list in 93 countries after its release.

While the show’s first season may have gained significant global popularity, many Korean projects of late have disappointed fans with less-than-impressive second seasons — a concern shared by the director and writer. However, the two creators expressed confidence that the new season will be nothing like the first, only inspired by it.

“By the end of season two, something entirely new and unexpected keeps happening. This makes the world feel alive, with things that seem impossible continuing to occur — which I believe will appeal to the viewers,” director Yeon said.

Writer Choi also said that season two will be “a new world born from season one.”

The original cast from season one will return, featuring Kim Hyun-joo and Kim Shin-rock alongside new additions Kim Sung-cheol and Im Sung-jae. Veteran actors Moon So-ri and Moon Geun-young will also make special guest appearances in the series as Senior Secretary Lee and Ms. Sunshine, respectively.

Actor Kim Sung-cheol takes on the role of Jung Jin-su, originally portrayed by Yoo Ah-in. Yoo stepped down from the role after being accused of illegal drug use, for which he was later charged.

The director briefly mentioned the sudden change, saying that he had a sense of belief in actor Kim after meeting him in real life, adding, “Kim closely resembled Jin-su from the original webtoon.”

With Kim’s character being resurrected, the actor tried to amplify the emotions his character might have experienced in hell.

“I thought about what a person would look like after being oppressed by constant pain and fear for eight long years,” Kim said.

Another resurrected character in the series is Park Jung-ja, played by actor Kim Shin-rock. She mentioned that she took “bold” steps when following the director’s words, which made the crew buzz in front of the monitor.

“My character is experiencing hell in real time,” she said. “I aimed to avoid portraying her as a prophet who has transcended everything. Instead, I focused on uncovering her desires.”

Actor Moon Geun-young, known for her lovely image, takes a striking turn in the series, saying, “I appear as a religious fanatic.”

She said, “I’ve always had the interest and enthusiasm for new roles. However, those opportunities didn’t always come my way, which left me always desiring them. So, when director Yeon offered me such a captivating character, I was thrilled to take it.”

In the series, Moon’s costume and makeup are quite intense, which caused the crew some confusion on set.

“I also had some action scenes, so whenever I got my makeup done, my stunt double had to wear the same makeup,” Moon said. “The makeup was so intense that I looked unrecognizable, and the staff kept getting confused. I remember them looking for me, even though I was right in front of them, which made everyone laugh.”

The actors, director and writer said the series is a perfect fit for the chilly weather and will be a topic of conversation after its release.

“I tried to create season two as a work that leaves viewers wanting to discuss it afterward,” director Yeon said. “I hope that the viewers will watch it with people they communicate well with and have conversations about the themes it presents.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]