[HanCinema's News] "Noryang: Deadly Sea" Set for December 2023 Release

The final film of director Kim Han-min's trilogy about famed Korean admiral Yi Sun-shin has been set for a December release. The sequel to "Hansan: Rising Dragon" from last summer completed its filming back in June, and was expected to be released last month for the often popular late 2022 holiday season. However, director Kim Han-min personally requested the extended delay so that he could continue doing post-production work.

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When "Noryang: Deadly Sea" did not receive marketing ahead of the late 2022 holiday season, many assumed that the delay was requested by the distributor Lotte Entertainment to avoid competing with the new Avatar film. Consequently, a release for the Lunar New Year holiday season next year, on February 1st, seemed likely. But apparently the alterations Kim Han-min wants for "Noryang: Deadly Sea" are quite extensive and won't even be completed in time for the summer season of 2023.

Lotte Entertainment commented that a summer release for "Noryang: Deadly Sea" was still possible but that for the moment a late 2022 release is more likely. Purportedly Kim Han-min is adamant on a winter release because the actual historical battle of Noryang also took place on December 16. "Hansan: Rising Dragon" also had a seasonal plan, its July 27th theatrical release being relatively close to the battle's actual historical date of July 8th.

"Noryang: Deadly Sea" is based on the final battle of the Japanese Invasions of Korea, which lasted from 1592 to 1598. Kim Yun-seok will be the third actor in Kim Han-min's film series to play the role of admiral Yi Sun-shin. "Hansan: Rising Dragon" earned 7.26 million admissions at the South Korean box office last summer, and the first film in the series "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" is the all-time South Korean box office champion with 17.61 million admissions.

Written by William Schwartz