Production
Bong Joon Ho's first experience producing animation came when he made a stop-motion animated short film, Looking For Paradise during his university days with the Yellow Door film club, as explored in the documentary film Yellow Door: '90s Lo-fi Film Club. [3] Bong, after having previously made all live-action films, had since expressed a desire to revisit animation, making this project a meaningful return to the medium. [4]
Bong began writing the screenplay in 2018 and completed it in early 2021. Seo Woo-sik, producer of Bong's Mother and Okja , stated Bong sketched storyboards for the animation process in his hotel room. Inspired by Claire Nouvian’s novel The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss, Bong describes the film as exploring the connection between deep-sea creatures and humans. [4]
It was reported that the film would receive a $52-60 million budget, making it the most expensive South Korean film to date. [1] According to Variety, Werner Herzog will be part of the voice cast in the film. [5] According to Bong, the film has entered production and is "halfway done"; he expects it to be released in 2027. [6]