The King of Kings, which topped the North American box office as the highest-grossing Korean film of all time, is meeting domestic audiences with a lavish voice cast.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, a media preview and press conference for the film The King of Kings (directed by Jang Seong-ho) was held at CGV Yongsan Ipark Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. During the event, Director Jang Seong-ho attended to share insights.
The King of Kings is an animated film depicting a journey into the greatest story of 2,000 years ago with Charles Dickens, a renowned British author, and his youngest son, Walter. It was inspired by the unpublished manuscript The Life of Our Lord that Dickens wrote for his children, known for works such as Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol.
Director Jang Seong-ho, who took charge of production, screenplay, and direction, said, "We planned this project targeting the North American market, so we first released it in the United States. Finally, it has been released in our home country, Korea. We held several screenings for pastors, but this is the first general screening, so I am quite nervous and curious about how people will perceive the film."
Earlier, The King of Kings surpassed the North American cumulative revenue of $53.84 million for Parasite just 17 days after its release in April. As of now, its cumulative revenue has exceeded $60.3 million, making it the highest-grossing Korean film in North America. It also ranks 2nd among all-time Asian animated films in North America, following Pokémon: The First Movie ($85.74 million).
In response, Director Jang Seong-ho stated, "The material deals with a figure like Jesus, which raises concerns about only receiving reactions from specific religious groups. However, that was not the case in America. The general audience's reactions were very positive. I was especially grateful that we received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 98% and a CinemaScore of A+. I believe that The King of Kings resonated as a universal love story and a family tale. I hope it will be the same in Korea."
When asked about his focus on targeting the North American market, he explained, "I have been a movie buff since I was young. I always dreamed of leaving my mark with my work. I entered the film industry through visual effects after working in computer graphics. After some time, I realized I was technically prepared to create a good product. In the meantime, I had written many scripts and was preparing different things, and around 2015, I thought it was time to try. However, to utilize our technology, a smaller budget wouldn't suffice. At that time, Korean animation was mainly focused on content for toddlers, and even with a large budget, it was hard to exceed 1 billion won. We needed a larger budget to enhance the quality with our technology; thus, it naturally led to targeting the North American market."
Therefore, he needed to find material that would work in the American market and had many thoughts about that during the planning stage. Director Jang Seong-ho said, "Even Disney, starting with Snow White in 1937, has established a long tradition of works based on original stories. There aren't many successful original projects. Thus, we began searching for familiar original-based materials for them. I listed works whose copyrights had expired and noticed that Charles Dickens wrote a book called The Life of Our Lord. The United States is a country founded by missionaries, and even non-believers cannot deny that Jesus was a historical figure. As a major historical figure influencing humanity, I thought it would be quite viable in the North American market. Surprisingly, there has never been a theatrical full-length film with Jesus as the protagonist. I thought that with well-executed production, it could gain significant symbolism."
However, there were concerns about the potentially dull story and heavy subject matter making it difficult to produce commercially entertaining content. Director Jang Seong-ho explained, "That's why Dickens brought the format of telling the story to a young child. As you know, Charles Dickens gained popularity by diligently holding readings for an audience who couldn't read. I sensed that I could draw upon interesting methods there. Especially if it's something conveyed to one's own child, it would be heartfelt. The child could immerse themselves in the world, and I believed we could bring elements of adventure and fantasy as if traveling through time. It seems that audiences in America found that format intriguing."
Regarding plans for release in countries outside North America, he stated, "I heard from the distributor that 46 countries have already released the film or are in the process. It has been reported that the release has been confirmed in 90 countries by the end of the year. It seems to primarily be released in non-English-speaking countries during the Christmas season. Including countries currently under negotiation, it seems we will release in a total of 120 countries. I was told that if all this happens, it will be an unprecedented record."
When asked about the aspects he paid attention to in adapting the Bible into the story, he replied, "The Bible contains difficult narratives filled with parables and metaphors. It is challenging to explain such content to young children, so I had to remove a lot when writing the script. What should I focus on to tell the story? After watching the film, I wanted the audience to feel as if they had experienced everything from birth to resurrection, so I concentrated on one theme, which I believed to be 'love.' Additionally, to ensure that the subplots with Dickens and his son wouldn't drift away while not contradicting the main plot, we needed to progress within the same thematic framework. I viewed their relationship restoration as the core story. By telling the story of the restoration of the relationship between Dickens and his son alongside the relationship between God and humanity, I believed it would naturally blend within a single theme. Especially for those of faith, there would be the enjoyment of finding the biblical metaphors embedded throughout."
Conversely, when asked what aspects would appeal to general audiences who are not Christian, he stated, "I believe that even non-religious individuals would be open to watching a story about relationship restoration and love. It is a narrative that can relate to universal emotions. I am confident that it was made to a high standard worthy of the ticket price, leading to its success in the United States, and I can boldly recommend it as a film worth watching in Korea, regardless of religious beliefs."
He continued, "In animation, camera work can utilize virtual cameras, and everything can be done if you set your mind to it. However, it's not without drawbacks, as it can reduce realism. The principle we established is that the camera only moves within the physical range that is possible for actual filming. The lighting was also set up like on a real film set. Although it is animation, I can say that it has a cinematic quality. I aimed to create a film that is worth watching in theaters. Immense effort was put into the music and sound. The voice dubbing work took about a month in Australia, which I believe is a first for animated dubbing processes. The supervisor worked on Mad Max: Fury Road, and it was said to have the highest quality among animated dubbing, thus greatly enhancing it. I can assert with confidence that in terms of quality, it is likely the best ever in Korean animation history. It is a film that I believe does not waste the ticket price and is worth seeing in theaters."
The domestic dubbing of The King of Kings features an impressive cast, including actors Lee Byung-hun, Jin Sun-kyu, Lee Ha-nee, Yang Dong-geun, Cha In-pyo, Kwon Oh-jung, Jang Kwang, and Choi Ha-ri. Director Jang Seong-ho commented, "It seems that I have been incredibly lucky with the casting. Even in Hollywood, they were surprised by the amazing cast. They said things like 'How could such casting be possible?' and 'This casting is unlikely to happen again.' It seems that they responded positively because it is a good story and a good work. The cast was not selected based on the good response in the U.S.; it was almost completed even before that. Many people around me, who showed interest in the work, assisted greatly. Through these individuals, the casting was completed swiftly and smoothly. Some recommendations were made, and when I proposed it to them, they accepted almost immediately, leading to an efficient and quick conclusion to the casting process."
When asked about any interesting episodes during the dubbing, he shared, "Actor Lee Byung-hun is already an incredibly outstanding actor, so there's no need to mention him. In fact, he is not religious. Nonetheless, he expressed that while working on this project, he became interested in the universal love story and the figure of Jesus, which was fascinating. I found it interesting to observe how he interpreted the character while acting. Ultimately, there was an emotional exchange reminiscent of playful banter, with some tension between him and his son. He managed to find that chemistry well, which I found intriguing."
He added, "The other actors were also remarkable. In particular, actor Lee Ha-nee is not only a skilled performer but also I discovered that she sings beautifully. Perhaps that's why her voice is so lovely. I believe she will showcase peak levels in her career as a professional voice actor. Actor Jin Sun-kyu played the role of Jesus, and I had some preconceived notions since he often plays villains. However, his voice was young and pure. Those who only hear Jin Sun-kyu without seeing him may find it surprisingly different. Perhaps due to his experience as a stage actor, his vocal skills were excellent throughout the entire project, resulting in immense satisfaction."
Finally, Director Jang Seong-ho remarked, "It seems that by chance, I have become an unexpected presence. There were difficult journeys and hardships, but we completed it and managed to bring it to the world, and for that alone, I feel quite proud. I hope that works like this become successful so that others can take on challenges and create even better works; thus, I hope our film is well-received in Korea and achieves good outcomes."
Meanwhile, The King of Kings is set to be released domestically on the 16th.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Distation
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