Director Kim Han Min opened up about creating another movie based on Admiral Yi Sun Sin’s life, titled Hansan: Rising Dragon.
Hansan: Rising Dragon (also known as Hansan: Emergence of the Dragon), serves as the newest installment in director Kim Han Min’s trilogy. It continues the events in The Admiral: Roaring Currents and will soon be completed with Noryang: Sea of Death.
The new film explores the historical Battle of Hansan, which happened five years before The Admiral: Roaring Currents’ Battle of Myeongnyang.
Its predecessor became the highest-grossing film in Korean cinema history with more than 17 million tickets sold.
With the success of the franchise, the filmmaker disclosed the things he went through while creating the new film.
Director Kim Han Min on Making Another Tale About Admiral Yi Sun Sin
In an interview with The Korea Times on Thursday, the filmmaker opened up about the questions he received while making a flick about the admiral.
Per Kim Han Min, he initially wanted to film more than “Roaring Currents” in order to complete the trilogy.
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“I get asked a lot of questions like, 'Do you feel pressure to top Roaring Currents?' But I treat them as separate entities. Of course, I try to retain some of the essence of Admiral Yi, such as his fearless personality and leadership, but at the same time, I want to give audiences something different. That's why I cast three different actors to play the same role of Yi in the trilogy," he detailed.
The director then differentiated “Hansan” and “Roaring Currents,” saying that the first film was challenging since they filmed it aboard real ships at the sea.
As for the upcoming film, they reportedly used CGI and focused on it heavily instead.
Director Kim Han Min Praises New Admiral Yi Sun Sin Actor Park Hae Il
The director took his time to praise actor Park Hae Il’s performance in the film. Admiral Yi Sun Sin was a famous strategist who used tactics to achieve his triumphs against Japan during the 16th century.
Kim Han Min said that the hero and Park Hae Il are similar in many ways.
“Park looks soft on the outside, but he is strong on the inside. I thought that his gentle and calm personality matches well with Admiral Yi,” he continued.
After the upcoming Hansan: Rising Dragon premieres on July 27, Kim Han Min will be busy on its third and final installment. The last part will tell the story of the final battle of the seven-year war in 1598. At that time, Admiral Yi Sun Sin was shot to death.
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