The dragon is back, or maybe it never left: Shim Hyung-rae's perseverance leads to a second act for 'D-War'

With his unruly hair, blackened front teeth, freckles on both cheeks, a bulbous red nose and black rubber shoes that look ready to slip off at any moment, veteran comedian Shim Hyung-rae waves his arms with both thumbs raised, looking comically foolish. As he belts out his legendary catchphrase, “Ddiriri ririri. Young-gu's not heeere!” elderly spectators gathered at a rural market burst into applause and laughter.

The 68-year-old comedian bounces from one traditional market to another across Korea, describing himself as a “traveling entertainer.” Some view his performances as the sad final chapter of a fallen comedian's career, but Shim pays little attention to such judgments.

“I actually gain energy from the warm welcome people give me,” he said to the JoongAng Ilbo during an interview at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Oct. 2.

And that energy he draws from the markets is fueling his return to filmmaking.

Shim, who is also a film director, is preparing to rerelease his 2007 film “D-War,” also known as "Dragon Wars: D-War," in a digitally restored 4K version in late January next year to mark the film's 20th anniversary. Production has also begun on “D-War 2,” which is targeting a summer 2029 release.

Another encouraging development came in August, when “D-War” enjoyed an unexpected resurgence on Netflix. The film entered Netflix's Top 10 rankings in 19 countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Canada.

The sci-fi fantasy film is based on the imugi, a serpent-like creature from Korean folklore. The story follows an evil imugi named Buraki and its army as they descend on Los Angeles in search of a mystical orb that can fulfill its ambition to become a dragon, while humans struggle to stop them.

With its sudden resurgence, some might wonder whether Shim is simply striking while the iron is hot and capitalizing on the film's renewed popularity. But the director insists he has never given up on “D-War,” regardless of whether public interest was strong or had faded.

Discussions about producing “D-War 2" date back to at least 2016, but those efforts ultimately fell through. Many have responded to the latest announcement with doubt, asking whether this is yet another promise that will go unfulfilled.

Shim's journey to this unexpected resurgence, however, was far from easy.

In 2011, Younggu Art, the production company he operated, went bankrupt. Shim himself filed for personal bankruptcy in January 2013. At one point, the original intellectual property (IP) rights to “D-War” had become virtually worthless.

In 2015, Shim scraped together what little money he had to buy back the rights for 40 million won (approximately $35,500 at the time). More than a decade later, that decision has brought unexpected consequences.

What might have then seemed like a gamble now looks prescient. Sony’s overseas distribution rights to “D-War” expire next August, leaving Shim poised to regain full control of the property just as the film’s Netflix revival has shown it still draws audiences abroad. For a man once written off as a cautionary tale, it is a chance to finish what he started.

Criticism instead of a comfortable retirement

Shim debuted in 1982 as a member of KBS's inaugural class of comedians recruited through open auditions. Within a year, he had become a household name thanks to his portrayal of the bumbling character Young-gu on the comedy show “Humor No. 1” (1983-92).

His popularity was immense.

Advertisers and filmmakers clamored to feature Shim and his Young-gu character. His success also brought extraordinary wealth, which made him the highest-earning entertainer in Korea.

In 1993, Shim established the film production company Younggu Art and became a film director.

“When we were filming 'Yonggary' (1999), we rented a high-speed camera capable of shooting 400 frames per second for an explosion scene,” Shim said. “We'd paid for a full month's rental, but suddenly they told us to return it after just one week.”

He stayed up night after night which eventually got his face paralyzed at one point. 

At the time, Shim became known for his relentless determination, summed up in a widely quoted remark: “It's not that you don't do something because you can't. You can't because you don't do it.”

His drive earned him recognition as the country's first “new intellectual” under the Kim Dae-jung administration, but criticism soon mounted over the quality of his films and their disappointing overseas sales.

Shim remained undeterred.

He entered Hollywood with “D-War” in 2007 and followed it with “The Last Godfather” in 2010, targeting the North American market. Both films, however, fell short of commercial expectations.

His successive high-risk investments eventually led to the bankruptcy of Younggu Art in 2011.

Although public sentiment toward the once-celebrated filmmaker turned cold, Shim never let go of “D-War.”

In October 2015, two years after filing for personal bankruptcy, he bought back the film's original IP rights through a bankruptcy trustee.

At the time, the rights were far from complete. Sony Pictures still controlled distribution rights in lucrative overseas markets, including North America and Europe, after acquiring the film's video and DVD rights for $4 million in 2007.

Shim may have bought back only half the rights, but the gamble would turn out to be a stroke of genius.

A second chance, nearly 20 years later

Sony, which had acquired the distribution rights from Shim years earlier, subsequently licensed “D-War” to Netflix.

As a result, the film staged an unexpected comeback in August, 19 years after its theatrical release, entering Netflix's Top 10 rankings in 19 countries.

The resurgence has not generated any immediate income for Shim. But it has provided an indication that the “D-War” IP still holds appeal in Western markets who want B-movie creature features.

"Back in 2007, I thought I'd lost a lot of money by selling the rights for what was then worth 5.5 billion won," he said.

"Later, someone at Sony told me it was considered one of the most profitable secondary rights deals in terms of return on investment. I used to think I'd sold the rights too cheaply, but 20 years later, I'm saying, 'Thank you, Sony.' After all, without Sony, 'D-War' might never have enjoyed this resurgence on Netflix."

Sony's remaining distribution rights in North America and Europe are set to expire next August.

Had he walked away from the film a decade ago, he might have missed the opportunity created by its unexpected revival nearly 20 years after its release.

“D-War” returns

So, what will the sequel be about? For starters, it will take place in an earlier timeline than the original. “D-War 2" is set at the height of the Cold War, when the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in an intense space race. The story, however, takes an alternate-history approach.

In the real world, in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. However, in the film, the United States pre-empted that by accelerating its Apollo program in an attempt to prevent the Soviet Union from gaining the upper hand in space exploration.

The sci-fi story takes off when human space explorers stumble upon a celestial realm inhabited by dragons.

Shim said the film's executive producer will be James Kang, a former Younggu Art employee who played a leading role in producing the original “D-War.”

Veteran Hollywood producer David Permut, who has worked in the industry for nearly four decades, is also joining the project.

Permut is best known to Korean audiences for producing the action thriller “Face/Off” (1997), starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, and director Mel Gibson's war film “Hacksaw Ridge” (2016), which won two Academy Awards.

Production has already progressed to the creation of a video storyboard that follows the film's narrative, complete with preliminary computer-generated imagery and temporary sound effects.

The storyboard, which Shim briefly showed to JoongAng Ilbo, even included the film's ending song.

When the original “D-War” was released, Shim's decision to use “Arirang,” Korea's traditional folk song, during the closing sequence drew both criticism, for being seen as pandering to patriotism, and praise, in the form of enthusiastic responses from audiences.

Shim appeared mindful of that reaction.

“I believe music is one of the most important elements of a film,” he said. “Look forward to the ending song of 'D-War 2,' which will follow in the footsteps of 'Arirang' from the first film.”

To give a hint: The song chosen to close the sequel is one of Korea's best-known children's songs, beloved for more than a century for its lyrical evocation of the night sky.

BY KIM MIN-JEONG, KIM HA-NA [[email protected]]