''Yi Sun-sin trilogy'' is a South Korean period war action film series directed by

Kim Han-min Kim Han-min (born November 5, 1969) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed the feature films ''Paradise Murdered'' (2007), '' Handphone'' (2009), '' War of the Arrows'' (2011), and '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014). ...

based on three major naval battles led by Admiral

Yi Sun-sin Admiral Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598) was a Korean admiral and military general famed for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. Over the course of his career, Admiral Yi foug ...

. The first film '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014) is based on

Battle of Myeongnyang In the Battle of Myeongnyang, on October 26, 1597, the Korean Joseon Kingdom's navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, fought the Japanese navy in the Myeongnyang Strait, near Jindo Island, off the southwest corner of the Korean peninsula. Wit ...

(1597), the second '' Hansan: Rising Dragon'' (2022) depicts

Battle of Hansan Island The Battle of Hansan Island and following engagement at Angolpo took place from 8 July 1592. In two naval encounters, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet managed to destroy roughly 100 Japanese ships and halted Japanese naval operations along th ...

(1592) and the last film '' Noryang: Sea of Death'' (2023) is based on Battle of Noryang (1598).

Overview

Cast

Development

In 2013, while producing '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'', Big Stone Pictures revealed their plans to produce two more films related to

, titled ''Emergence of Hansan Dragon'' and '' Noryang: Sea of Death'' as sequels, depending on the success of ''The Admiral''. 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. 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. In a statement in July 2022, Kim explained the different characteristics depicted in the three films:

Films

''The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014)

Based on historical

(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. 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. 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.

''Hansan: Rising Dragon'' (2022)

''Hansan'' depicts the historical

which took place five years before

depicted in ''The Admiral''. 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. It was released on 2,223 screens on July 27, 2022 in South Korea.

Notes

References

{{Kim Han-min Film series introduced in 2014 South Korean film series Trilogies Films set in the 1590s Cultural depictions of Yi Sun-sin South Korean historical action films South Korean action drama films South Korean historical adventure films South Korean war drama films Films about Japan–Korea relations Films about naval warfare Films set in the Joseon dynasty Action films based on actual events War films based on actual events Films about the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)