Exhuma will have a spin-off manhwa that will serve as a sequel.
As per Variety and SList, Exhuma, the 2024 film that broke the record for highest-grossing score in 2024, has inspired a prequel spin-off manhwa called Maengjong which literally translates to Blind Obedience. Haemuri (Trapped) will adapt the story and is known for their psychological thrillers. Director Jang Jae-hyun took part in the webtoon’s early concept review stage. The webtoon is now available on Naver WEBTOON on May 30 and a visual can be seen below.
The prequel follows shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil during their high school years and how the two first came together.
Lee Hyeon-jeong, the managing director at Showbox’s film business division, hoped that Maengjong would be a “fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.” Lee Jeong-geun, Naver WEBTOON’s Korea webtoon content leader, said, ““With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film Exhuma, enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
Premiered on February 22, 2024, Exhuma follows renowed shamans Hwarim and Bonggil who have been tasked to relocate a grave in the hopes that it may cure the ill newborn son of a real estate developer family. However, in excavating the grave, the gravediggers sever the head of a human-headed snake which unleashes a whole host of curses and horrible things. The cast features Choi Min-sik as feng shui master Kim Sangdeok, Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun as shamans Hwarim and Bonggil, and Yoo Hae-jin as the undertaker Yeong-geun.
The film received praise for the cast’s performance, writing, and direction in incorporating Korean shamanism and occult elements to make a convincing horror story.
The spin-off is now available to read on Naver WEBTOON. There have been no announcements of an official English version as of this article’s publishing.
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