Director Lee Sang-yong calls himself a 'stepping stone' for 'Roundup' trilogy

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Director Lee Sang-yong calls himself a 'stepping stone' for 'Roundup' trilogy

Published: 01 Jun. 2023, 11:17

Director Lee Sang-yong [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

Often, a director is the main artist and creative force behind a film, coming up with the storyline and characters. But for “The Roundup: No Way Out,” the director was “just a stepping stone” for the overall franchise, claimed Lee Sang-yong, the director himself.

“The Roundup: No Way Out” is the third installment in a franchise that started with “The Outlaws” (2017) and “The Roundup” (2020), both of which have seen massive box office success. “The Outlaws” was the fourth most successful R-rated film of all time in Korea in terms of ticket sales, while “The Roundup” attracted 12.69 million viewers in Korea alone in 2022 — the only domestically-produced film to gain more than 10 million viewers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lee, who started out as an assistant director on the first film and directed “The Roundup” before taking on “The Roundup: No Way Out,” compared the franchise to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and humbly said that he was simply “a stepping stone” for the franchise to become bigger and more successful.

Don Lee plays Ma Suk-do, a ″monster cop″ who fights criminals with his bare fists, in the new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

“Actor Don Lee and the screenwriters put so much into the third installment,” said Lee during a group interview with local reporters on Tuesday. “Don Lee was the main creator behind the film and the pressure on him and the other actors was immense.”

Debuting at age 40 as a director with “The Roundup” (2020) was a dream come true for Lee, and the fact that his first feature film was such a huge box office success has put considerable pressure on him.

“I was very afraid of failing with the third film,” said Lee. “After the success of the second film, I regretted agreeing to direct the third one for a moment. But the newly joined actors for the third installment did such a great job and I was glad to have had the chance to work with them. Still, I do think that the 10-million-director title is too much for me. I do not want to become arrogant with that label on my name.”

A scene from new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

In “The Roundup: No Way Out,” new cast members Lee Joon-kyuk and Japanese actor Munetaka Aoki join as the two main antagonists. Don Lee, whose character Ma Suk-do, a “monster cop,” has been the central character for the previous two films, again takes on the role of Suk-do and chases Lee’s and Aoki’s characters to fight an international drug ring.

Regarding some reactions from audiences that these two new antagonists seem slightly weak compared to the villains from the previous two films, director Lee refuted that the two were any less interesting.

Japanese actor Munetaka Aoki plays Riki, a yakuza, in ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

“Lee Joon-hyuk and Aoki’s characters are each very unique and bring new elements to the franchise,” said Lee. “And to have two villains in one film was a novel idea that we were sure would bring ‘The Roundup: No Way Out’ to the next level.”

Even if “The Roundup: No Way Out” follows in the footsteps of the previous films in the franchise and garners more than 10 million viewers, Lee believes the honor should not be put on him but the franchise itself and everyone involved, he said.

Director Lee Sang-yong [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

“I just wish not to be a hindrance to the franchise,” said Lee. “I heard that through the limited screenings over the weekend, we already had a lot of people watching ‘The Roundup: No Way Out.’ I hope more and more people will visit the theater to see the film.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]