One of the handful of horror flicks with a local production team from the 2000s is returning for a second installment.
In a movie landscape with paltry picks when it comes to horror productions, the arrival of Mười in 2007 was the talk of town, even without the promotional prowess of social media. Mười was the first Vietnam-South Korea cinematic co-production and among the first few occasions when a horror flick filmed in Vietnam had such decent production value, though much of that was thanks to the South Korean crew.
In the movie, Yoon-hee (Jo An), a South Korean writer, visits Vietnam after her old friend Seo-yeon (Cha Ye-ryun), who lives in the country, told her about the tragic and mysterious story of Mười. A young lady living in rural Vietnam, Mười (Anh Thư) falls in love with an artist (Bình Minh). Before being able to finish a portrait of Mười, he leaves her for a noblewoman (Hồng Ánh). Jealous of her man’s love for Mười, the woman tortures Mười until she commits suicide.
During its run in 2007, Mười raked in US$1.3 million, no small feat considering the movie was rated C16. Now, 14 years later, Silver Moonlight Entertainment has decided to resurrect the legend of Mười for a sequel starring the original Vietnamese cast and directed by Vietnamese-American auteur Danny Do.
“Producing a sequel is always a challenge compared to making a separate film, because it requires the sequel to both retain the spirit of its predecessor and exist on its own so those who haven’t seen the prequel can still understand it,” Hằng Trịnh, the project’s producer, told SGGP. “After the casting, we hope to discover interesting talents who can take on the important roles.”
Apart from the original Vietnamese cast — Anh Thư, Hồng Ánh and Bình Minh — the crew is on the search for new names to take on main roles. The first round of the casting process will run from March 1 to 21 online. The Mười sequel is expected to start filming in May and June for a release at the end of 2021.
[Photo via SGGP]
