Netflix’s Badland Hunters Promises Violent Post-Apocalypse Action Thrills
Has anyone else noticed a massive spike in South Korean cinematography in terms of quality, budget, and overall storytelling? Of course you have; otherwise, releases like Concrete Utopia and Squid Game wouldn’t be so popular. Fortunately, the trend continues, and Netflix dropped a trailer for another post-apocalyptic action movie called Badland Hunters.
The movie hails from South Korea, and its narrative is set years after Seoul turns into an apocalyptic wasteland following some massive catastrophe. The story follows Nam-san—portrayed by Don Lee—a relentless wasteland hunter who embarks on a mission to save a teenage friend abducted by an insane doctor who prefers humans to guinea pigs when it comes to experimentation.
Badland Hunters is a spiritual sequel of Concrete Utopia, whose narrative centers on the immediate aftermaths of the earthquake that devastated Seoul.
Badland Hunters transports the viewers into a desolate landscape, where mere survival is a luxury, and alliances are as stable as the ruined architecture surrounding the inhabitants of the equally ruined world.
The movie is directed by Heo Myeong-hang, a stunt coordinator making his directorial debut, which revealed a thing or two about the movie, as well as working with Don Lee (also known as Ma Dong-seok). In a press conference for the upcoming Badland Hunters, the director opened up that Don Lee suggested that the two should collaborate and that he was left “dumbstruck” by the actor’s proposition and equally thrilled at the opportunity to work with Lee once again.
It’s worth noting that Badland Hunters is a spiritual sequel of Concrete Utopia, whose narrative centers on the immediate aftermaths of the earthquake that devastated Seoul. In that film, the residents of the Imperial Palace Apartments unite for survival against external survivors seeking to invade their little concrete utopia.
Badland Hunters transports the viewers into a desolate landscape, where mere survival is a luxury, and alliances are as stable as the ruined architecture surrounding the inhabitants of the equally ruined world.
However, whereas Concrete Utopia deals with the immediate aftermath of the massive earthquake and its survivors, Badland Hunters is set further into the future, when some semblance of organized living has been established.
The development of Badland Hunters was planned after the production of Concrete Utopia, and the filming took place between February and May of 2022. In November 2023, Netflix confirmed the film’s production and that the movie is produced by Climax Studios, with Big Punch Pictures and Nova Film as Co-producers, and directed by martial artist and stunt coordinator Heo Myeong-hang.
Subsequently, the Korean Film Council—the state-supported, self-administered organization under South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, scheduled the film’s release for January 26.
Given the star power associated with Badland Hunters, we have very little doubt that the movie will be a success for Netflix.
The movie is scheduled to premiere on Netflix, and the streaming giant will help distribute the movie via streaming to 190 countries worldwide. Besides Don Lee, Badland Hunters will also star Lee Hee-joon as Yang Gi-su, the doctor who survived the catastrophe, and Lee Jun-young as Choi Ji-wan, Nam-san’s trusted partner—the actor, recognized mostly for portraying villains in various Netflix series, was delighted at the opportunity to portray a positive character in the upcoming film.
Badland Hunters also features Roh Jeong-eui as Suna, a bold girl who follows Nam-san, and An Ji-hye as Lee Eun-ho, a special forces sergeant—the actress also performed 99 percent of her action scenes in the upcoming movie. Given the star power associated with Badland Hunters, we have very little doubt that the movie will be a success for Netflix.
