Colony

Plot

Scientist Seo Young-chul warns the police that he will launch a bio-terrorist attack at the Dongwoo-ri Building, subsequently injecting himself with the supposed vaccine to his mutated slime mold bioweapon. Meanwhile, Chains Bio is holding a presentation inside the building, where its CEO, Kang Woo-chul, showcases the cell regeneration capabilities of the slime mold. Kwon Se-jeong, an ostracized and unemployed professor, has received an invitation to the presentation, and arrives looking for a job opportunity within the company with the recommendation of her ex-husband Han Gyu-sung, who is preparing to emigrate overseas. At the same time, Choi Hyun-seok, a security guard, accompanies his mobility-impaired older sister, Hyun-hee, at the shopping mall inside the building.

Following the presentation, Young-chul confronts Woo-chul in a VIP room on the third floor, accusing him of plagiarizing his research before injecting the slime mold into Woo-chul's body. Woo-chul quickly mutates and infects nearby employees, resulting in an outbreak. Counter-terrorism team leader Lee Bong-seok arrives with his squad but ends up trapped as the building goes into lockdown.

Se-jeong, Gyu-sung, Hyun-seok, Hyun-hee, Bong-seok, school bullying victim So-eun, and several civilians become trapped in the building's shopping mall. During their attempt to escape, Gyu-sung loses his life while saving a delinquent female student. Se-jeong observes that the infected possess a high degree of swarm intelligence, allowing them to share sensory data in real time through mycelium and continuously evolve and learn upon every failed attack within a short period. Upon being informed by Bong-seok that Young-chul is behind the outbreak and has the vaccine, the group decides to head to the third floor to find him. The group uses perfume and antifreeze to sneak past, and triggers the fire sprinklers to disrupt the slime mold, temporarily paralyzing the infected. They manage to find Young-chul and head to the 30th floor for an evacuation. However, they discover that Young-chul can see through the infected's perspectives. Young-chul ambushes the group and escapes, causing the deaths of several survivors.

Meanwhile, Gyu-sung's current wife, Gong Seol-hee, joins a research group and investigates Young-chul's laboratory, built after his dismissal from Chains Bio. A horde of infected monkeys break free and attack the research group. One of the SWAT officers kills a monkey labeled #1, resulting in the rest of the monkey horde becoming frozen and unable to move.

Cast

Jun Ji-hyun as Kwon Se-jeong, a biotechnology professor. After losing her professorship due to her intolerance for injustice, she arrives at Doongwoori Building for a conference at her ex-husband Han Gyu-seong's suggestion, trying to land her a new job, and gets trapped inside. As a biotechnologist, she fights to lead survivors and escape, deciphering the infected's behavior and evolution to survive.

Koo Kyo-hwan as Seo Young-cheol, the biology scientist responsible for the outbreak. A genius biologist, he previously worked at a biotech company, envisioning a new humanity. At the outbreak's center, he becomes a target for authorities and survivors after revealing he has the vaccine.

Ji Chang-wook as Choi Hyun-seok, a security team member at Doongwoori Building, struggling to protect his family during a sudden infection outbreak. Trapped with his older sister, who was visiting for his long-awaited vacation, Hyun-seok fights to protect her, as she has a lower-body disability.

Kim Shin-rok as Choi Hyun-hee, an IT company employee and Hyun-seok's older sister, she visited the Doongwoori Building to have lunch with her brother during a long-awaited vacation, ending up stuck with other survivors when the infection broke out.

Shin Hyun-been as Gong Seol-hee, a biotechnologist who observes the situation from outside the building and struggles to resolve the crisis. When Seol-hee loses contact with her husband, Han Gyu-seong, who is in the Doongwoori building, she accepts the special investigation team's offer to investigate the case.

Go Soo as Han Gyu-seong, Se-jeong's ex-husband, who visits the Doongwoori building to present his ex-wife with a job offer and becomes trapped inside. He hides from the suddenly descending infected, but discovers other survivors in danger and becomes the first to expose himself to them as he tries to save them.

Production

Development

It was announced in October 2024 that Yeon Sang-ho, director of Train to Busan (2016) and Peninsula (2020), was preparing the zombie-thriller film titled Colony, planned for a theatrical release. The film would feature large-scale action scenes, combining human groups with zombie themes. Choi Gyu-seok collaborated with director Yeon on the writing. It is produced by Wow Point and Smilegate, and distributed by Showbox. By February 2025, Showbox's executive director Lee Hyun-jung confirmed the investment and distribution of the film. The production budget was approximately ₩17 billion (approximately $12 million).

"This will certainly be the most commercial film I've made so far. (...) I'm trying to make a film that can be fun, drawing on the strengths of Train to Busan and Hellbound."

The initial concept for the film, as envisioned by Choi Gyu-seok and director Yeon, centered on emphasizing the suspense generated by the constant shifting of roles. The zombies, being in a state of constant evolution, inevitably undergo changes, while human characters are assigned missions akin to a game, necessitating role-switching to achieve survival. Zombies in the film, possess mechanisms for interaction, and as the infection spreads and their numbers increase, their thinking speed accelerates and intelligence strengthens. However, their thought processes, learning patterns, and failure modes diverge significantly from humans, creating an eerie, unconventional nature that's uniquely theirs. Meanwhile, the humans battling them adapt, forging a distinct form of existence.

Casting

Casting announcements began in late October 2024, with Jun Ji-hyun receiving an offer and in talks. Shin Hyun-been, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Shin-rok, and Ji Chang-wook would also be joining the cast.

The appearances of Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Shin-rok, and Ji Chang-wook, along with Go Soo for a special appearance, were officially confirmed by March 2025.

Filming

Principal photography commenced in early March 2025, and was completed at the end of June of the same year. Filming took place three times in two locations in Dangjin, South Chungcheong.

Choreographer Jeon Young, who worked with Yeon Sang-ho on Train to Busan, Peninsula, and Hellbound (2021–2024), teamed up with dancer-choreographers Song Seung-wook, Lim Hee-jong, and Jung Eui-young to create unique zombie movements.

Release

Colony premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2026. This appearance marked a return to the festival for director Yeon Sang-ho, whose 2016 film Train to Busan debuted in the same category. Following its festival screening, the film is scheduled for a wide theatrical release in South Korea on May 21, 2026. Prior to its premiere, Showbox secured distribution deals in over 120 international territories. Key partners include Well Go USA Entertainment for North America, StudioCanal UK for the United Kingdom, Gaga Corporation for Japan, and ARP Sélection for France. Other regional distributors include Plaion Pictures for Germany and Italy, and K-Movie Entertainment UK for Australia and New Zealand.

The film opened the 25th New York Asian Film Festival on July 10, 2026. It will close 39th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 4, 2026.

In North America, Well Go USA scheduled the theatrical launch for August 28, 2026. This date was selected to follow a 10th-anniversary 4K re-release of Train to Busan, which returns to theaters two weeks prior on August 14. Marketing for the project has highlighted its contained setting within a quarantined biotechnology facility and its thematic ties to Yeon's previous work. Doris Pfardrescher, President and CEO of Well Go USA, characterized the film as an evolution of the director's style, suggesting a more intense scale than his earlier genre entries.

Reception

Box office

It grossed $44 million at the Korean box office. Including a $9.6 million opening weekend.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 109 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Layering modern anxieties about technology onto a nightmarish outbreak, Colony lacks the vivid characterizations that distinguish director Yeon Sang-ho's best work but mostly reaffirms his mastery over zombie mayhem." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Chad Collins of Dread Central gave the film a positive review, a rating of 4 out of 5 and he wrote: Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony is 'Train to Busan' on steroids. It’s a rip-roaring, terrifying zombie epic, and the best undead movie in years.

Joanne Soh of The Straits Times was entertained and gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and she wrote: Colony is entertaining and easy to consume. Just don’t expect any deeper bite.

Nikki Baughan of Screen International gave the film a positive review she said: As a modern zombie movie, Colony certainly has a satisfying bite.

Ritesh Mehta of IndieWire gave the film a rating of C+ and wrote: Yeon might be a very good student of the genre, and the deck he crafts is often masterful. It’s just that the communication lessons and memory of human loss don’t hit hard enough.

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film a negative feedback and he said: Maybe Sang-ho needed the confined space of a train to really hit his mark. Let’s get him back on board one soon.

Zachary Lee of TheWrap also gave the film a negative reaction and he wrote: Zombie projects can be smart, but this project seems too unsure of its own identity to fully commit to the zany ideas Yeon has in store. It would have been better to stick to being brainless.