As director Shim Hyung-rae's 'D-War'—released on Netflix on August 7—is making an unexpected surge 19 years after its original release, Director Shim has drawn attention by personally announcing its sequel 'D-War 2' and a video game adaptation.

On August 18, director Shim Hyung-rae shared his thoughts on 'D-War's resurgence on Netflix via YouTube Shorts. In the video, Director Shim expressed his gratitude for the renewed interest in his work through Netflix while surprisingly sharing news about the sequel, 'D-War 2'.

According to director Shim Hyung-rae, production on 'D-War 2' is already complete. He also revealed plans for a simultaneous worldwide release through a major global distributor.

The surprising news did not stop there. Following the completion of 'D-War 2' and its global distribution plans, director Shim Hyung-rae also shared news of a video game adaptation. In the video, he stated, "'D-War' will have a game coming out alongside it this time," signaling plans to expand the franchise into gaming beyond film.

Released in 2007, 'D-War' is a sci-fi film directed, written, and produced by Shim Hyung-rae following 'Yonggary'. A blockbuster based on the Korean Imugi folklore, it achieved box-office success domestically by drawing over 8.4 million viewers. However, it fell short of the 10 million viewer mark widely known as its break-even point, failing to achieve financial success. Furthermore, following its domestic release, it was released overseas in markets such as the US and Japan, but received harsh criticism from both critics and audiences over its overall quality, recording poor box-office performance.

Now, 19 years after its release, 'D-War' has recorded an unexpected comeback after becoming available on Netflix. The film made headlines once again by placing in the Netflix Movie Top 10 in various regions, including Europe, South America, and Türkiye.

However, community reactions to 'D-War's resurgence and the completion of 'D-War 2' are mixed. Some commented, "Since it would have been difficult to attract nearly 8.4 million viewers back then solely through patriotic marketing, didn't the film itself have its own charm?" while others expressed anticipation, saying, "As someone who enjoyed watching it during childhood, I'm excited to hear that a sequel is coming out." On the other hand, given that a sequel to a blockbuster-scale film was completed without any significant promotion, quite a few expressed doubts, asking, "It's coming out out of nowhere. When was it even filmed?"

In particular, various speculations are arising regarding the distributor of 'D-War 2'. With 'D-War' regaining attention through Netflix and director Shim Hyung-rae mentioning simultaneous worldwide distribution via a "major global distributor," some suggest that 'D-War 2' might be released on Netflix. However, no specific distributor or release schedule has been disclosed to date.

From a resurgence 19 years later to the completion of the sequel 'D-War 2' and its video game adaptation, attention is focused on how 'D-War'—which once claimed to be a Korean-style blockbuster—will return through a new film and a game, and what lies ahead for the 'D-War' universe envisioned by director Shim Hyung-rae.