Upcoming Spin-off Works of ‘Concrete Utopia’

On January 26th, 'Badland Hunter' was released on Netflix. This film is a sequel and spin-off of the 2023 movie 'Concrete Utopia'. 'Concrete Utopia' is considered a masterpiece that achieved both commercial and critical success, and while 'Badland Hunter' is a more straightforward action film, it has been gaining significant positive reception on Netflix.

It seems that 'Climax Studio', the production company behind these two films, is aiming to build a cinematic universe based on 'Concrete Utopia'. In addition to these two films, two spin-off TV series are already in the works. Both projects have completed filming and are awaiting their release schedules and marketing launch.

Cheerful Bully (working title)

While the two films were set in an apartment that survived the collapse, this series takes place in a school. It portrays the events that unfold as students trapped in a collapsed school reveal their true nature in the midst of disaster.

The main cast includes actors Sung Yoo-bin, Won Ji-an, and Jo Hyun-chul. Actor Sung Yoo-bin previously appeared as 'Seo Dae-gil' in 'The Witch: Part 2', and Won Ji-an debuted through the Netflix original series 'D.P.'. Actor Jo Hyun-chul also appeared in 'D.P.' Season 1.

For director Min Seung-hyun, this TV series is practically his first commercial work. He has directed several short films, primarily focusing on themes of queerness and poverty. He previously directed a short film titled 'Bicycle Thief', which seems to be inspired by Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' (1948).

'Bicycle Thieves' (1948) depicted the economic hardships faced by Italians in the aftermath of World War II, with most of the film shot in the war-torn Italian cities of that time. Therefore, it's highly likely that 'Cheerful Bully' will also be a social satire like 'Concrete Utopia', reflecting the director's tendencies.

Filming for the series reportedly wrapped up in January 2023. However, the specific release schedule and method remain unknown.

Concrete Market

'Concrete Market' is set to portray the stories of people who survive through bartering after the collapse in the apartment. Similar to 'Cheerful Bully', this series marks the commercial TV series debut of director Hong Gi-won. He previously directed the short film 'Tylenol' in 2015. This film is also known to be a short film that dealt with the unemployment crisis in Korea at the time.

Except for 'Badland Hunter', the 'Concrete Cinematic Universe' is characterized by its use of independent film directors who typically focus on social issues. We can speculate whether it will also be a social satire, focusing on economic hardship, similar to the others.

Actor Lee Jae-in has been cast for the lead role of 'Hiro'. Lee Jae-in previously starred in the 2019 Korean film 'Sabaha'. This series is being produced as a 7-part series and is the least known of the planned spin-offs. Filming has already been completed, and information is expected to be released soon.