'Veteran' cast had 'unspoken promise' to return for 'I, the Executioner,' director reveals

After nearly a decade since the release of "Veteran" (2015), director Ryoo Seung-wan returns with the highly anticipated sequel "I, the Executioner," with the film's helmer describing it as an "unspoken promise" shared by the cast and crew.

Action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ director Ryoo Seung-wan [CJ ENM]

After nearly a decade since the release of "Veteran" (2015), director Ryoo Seung-wan returns with the highly anticipated sequel "I, the Executioner," with the film's helmer describing it as an "unspoken promise" shared by the cast and crew of the prequel.

“With ‘Veteran,’ it was a bit more special because everything was very specific,” director Ryoo said to the local press during a recent interview. “What I mean by specific is that actor Hwang Jung-min and I thought that Seo Do-cheol must wear the same jacket in the next film, just like Eddie Murphy’s baseball jacket in the ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ series [1984-]. So, we gave Do-cheol’s jacket to the costume team to store.

“It was my first time preparing for a sequel so specifically,” he added.

Action thriller film “I, the Executioner,” released on Sept. 13, continues veteran detective Seo Do-cheol's journey with him chasing after another villain. This time, Do-cheol tracks a serial killer who taunts law enforcement and plunges the country into chaos.

A still from action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ [CJ ENM]

The new sequel returns with familiar faces, including actor Hwang as Do-cheol, Oh Dal-su as Captain Oh and Jang Yoon-ju as Detective Bong, alongside Jung Hae-in, a new addition to the cast, playing Park Sun-woo — an idealistic rookie officer brought in to help tackle the escalating threat.

Fans and moviegoers' long-standing desire for the sequel was proven by its ticket sales, which reached almost 5 million audience members in just a week since release. The film has garnered over 5.78 million in audience numbers as of Tuesday.

The director revealed that the long hiatus was due to him thinking that he needed some time to catch his breath, admitting that he felt a little frightened after the success of “Veteran.”

“We originally aimed for 4 million moviegoers at the box office for ‘Veteran,’ thinking that reaching that point would be enough to say that it was a major success,” Ryoo said. “But then it started to blow up, recording three times more than we hoped. As things progressed after reaching a certain level of success, I started to feel scared.”

A still from action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ [CJ ENM]

A still from action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ [CJ ENM]

Director Ryoo also revealed that he experienced a personal change as time passed, which affected the storyline of the latest film.

“I experienced cases where those who I once criticized as perpetrators ended up being the victims, and vice versa,” the director said. “But then I found myself trying to defend myself.”

“Later, I started to ask myself if the anger I felt when considering certain issues was justifiable,” he added.

Based on his experience, the director aimed to do something different from a “cider genre” film — which many consider the first film to be. In Korea, a cider genre film is often referred to as one with a straightforward, smooth and fast-paced narrative.

“Since ‘Veteran’ had already succeeded in delivering a ‘cider genre’ storyline and earned major success through it, I started to think that perhaps the sequel should have a different path,” Ryoo said. “I felt it was only fair to give the audience a more developed protagonist in return for their support. In my view, it was important to embrace new challenges, even if they were just slightly different.”

Action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ director Ryoo Seung-wan [CJ ENM]

For those who have seen the film, they would know that actor Jung appears as the new face Sun-woo in the film. But those who haven't seen the film may want to tune out, as a plot spoiler is revealed below.

The film's twist occurs when Sun-woo is revealed as the villain Haechi. The director purposely intended to deliver the character as a “type of fear that comes from something unrelated, or with no connection.”

In the film, Sun-woo and Do-cheol display similar personalities, which was the director's intention.

A still from action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ [CJ ENM]

“[Do-cheol] could have easily ended up like Haechi if there had been a certain trigger,” he said.

“At first, their starting point had only a very slight gap, so small that it was almost invisible. However, as time passed and their attitudes toward life accumulated, I believe that the difference between the two of them widened.”

The director also revealed an Easter egg in the film, which aligns with some lines in the prequel involving the housewife gambling case.

“The housewife gambling case is mentioned about three times in the first film,” the director said. “However, the housewives don't actually appear in the film until the end. So, I thought it would be great to start for the sequel by focusing on capturing the perpetrators in the gambling case."

Action thriller film ″I, the Executioner″ director Ryoo Seung-wan [CJ ENM]

“The housewives gambling at the table are actually the divers that appeared in my other film ‘Smugglers’ [2023],” Ryoo said.

“So, they’re using the money they made from smuggling to gamble,” the director jokingly said.

Despite creating numerous hit films, the director hopes to gain continuous support from the audience.

“My ultimate goal is not to set incredible records at the box office,” Ryoo said. “What matters more to me is receiving the audience's support. So, even if I try something different, I hope that viewers will recognize the effort I put into exploring new ideas and hearing them say, 'This person really tried to do something different.’”

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