| Yi Sun-sin trilogy | |||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Kim Han-min | ||
| Screenplay: | Kim Han-min Jeon Chul-hong (1) | ||
| Music: | Kim Tae-seong | ||
| Cinematography: | Kim Tae-seong | ||
| Studio: | Big Stone Pictures | ||
| Released: | 2014–present | ||
| Country: | South Korea | ||
| Language: | Korean Japanese | ||
The Yi Sun-sin trilogy is a South Korean period war action film series directed by Kim Han-min based on three major naval battles led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The first film (2014) is based on Battle of Myeongnyang (1597), the second (2022) depicts Battle of Hansan Island (1592) and the last film (2023) is based on Battle of Noryang (1598).[1]
| Title | Release date (South Korea) | Running time | Budget | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 30, 2014 | 127 minutes | CJ Entertainment | ||
| July 27, 2022 | 129 minutes | Lotte Entertainment | ||
| December 20, 2023 | 153 minutes |
| Characters | Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2022 | 2023 | ||
| Kim Yoon-seok | ||||
| Lim Jun-young | ||||
| Junsa | ||||
| Kim Kang-il | ||||
In 2013, while producing , Big Stone Pictures revealed their plans to produce two more films related to Yi Sun-sin, titled Emergence of Hansan Dragon and as sequels, depending on the success of The Admiral.[2] Following the box office success of The Admiral which became the most-watched and highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea, production of the sequels was confirmed.[3] [4]
According to director Kim, the charm of Admiral Yi Sun-shin has left him spellbound and inspired him to make a film trilogy about one of Korea's most celebrated historical figures.[5] In a statement in July 2022, Kim explained the different characteristics depicted in the three films:
See main article: The Admiral: Roaring Currents.
Based on historical Battle of Myeongnyang (1597), The Admiral narrates the against-the-odds triumph over Japanese navy. The film focused on Yi’s planning for the battle and the swashbuckling naval clash.[6] 61 minutes of its naval battle between 12 vessels of the Korean navy by led Yi and 330 invading Japanese ships, captivated the audience and was praised by the critics.[7] The film attracted 17 million moviegoers becoming the most-viewed and highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea. It also became a box-office hit internationally and grossed US$138.3 million worldwide.[8] [9]
See main article: Hansan: Rising Dragon. Hansan depicts the historical Battle of Hansan Island which took place five years before Battle of Myeongnyang depicted in The Admiral.[10] The naval battle scenes which takes 51 minutes of screentime in the Hansan were shot using visual effects, unlike the previous film The Admiral which was actually filmed in a boat floating on the sea.[11] [12] It was released on 2,223 screens on July 27, 2022 in South Korea. It became the 2nd highest-grossing Korean film of 2022 with 7.26 million admissions.[13] [14]