Director Pil Gam-seong of the movie 'My Daughter is a Zombie' says, "I can't imagine anyone but Jo Jung-seok for the father role... The cat 'Aeyongi' also went through auditions"

Director Pil Gam-seong of the movie 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 stated that he decided to direct because he deeply resonated with the core message of the original webtoon.

On the 29th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Director Pil met with reporters and explained the background of the direction, saying, "The questions posed by the original work were very impressive. If the being I love becomes a zombie, what choice would I make? Can a zombie truly become family? These fundamental questions continuously stimulated me."

Based on the webtoon of the same name by writer Lee Yoon-chang, 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 is a family comedy film that unfolds as beast specialist Jung-hwan (Jo Jung-seok) faces his daughter Sua (Choi Yu-ri), who is infected with a zombie virus. Director Pil, who has mainly dealt with the thriller genre in films like 〈Hostage〉 (2021) and the drama 〈The Day of the Accident〉 (2023), has come to the audience this time with a warm and delightful work.

Director Pil said, "As a father raising a teenage daughter, the original work was a very relatable and sad story. I found the way to express it in a cheerful, witty, yet poignant tone very appealing, and I wanted to take on a new challenge."

He mentioned that he tried to preserve the scenes he personally cherished as a fan of the original work in the film. He particularly cited the scene where Sua, after turning into a zombie, trains with her family to live with humans and attends classes with her friends at school as a representative example.

Director Pil explained, "There are personal preferences, but I also judged it to be an important scene thematically. It is the moment when Jung-hwan sees that Sua can live on her own, even if he tries so hard to protect her."

Writer Lee Yoon-chang, the original creator, also expressed that he was "very moved" after watching the completed film, according to Director Pil. The original creator made a surprise appearance in the film and hinted that a drawing he made would be used as an important prop in the movie.

〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 features a cast of proven actors, including Choi Yu-ri as the zombie daughter, Jo Jung-seok, Lee Jung-eun, Jo Yeo-jeong, and Yoon Kyung-ho. Director Pil expressed, "All the actors were my 'first pick', and I was really glad they agreed to participate. Especially, from the moment I first encountered the original work, I thought it would be great if Jo Jung-seok played the role, and I couldn't even imagine a situation where he wouldn't be able to participate," he said with a smile.

The cat 'Aeyongi' appearing in the movie was also cast through a formal audition. Regarding Aeyongi, a popular character that received great love from fans in the original work, Director Pil emphasized, "Cats are animals that cannot be trained, so there were many concerns, but I thought Aeyongi was the identity and soul of 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉. It couldn't be done without Aeyongi."

The hit song 'No.1' by singer BoA was also used as a key element in the film. Director Pil explained, "It was a song I liked, and I thought the feeling of the song matched well with the movie. Lyrics like 'Don't blame him for changing' and 'You're still my No.1' also resonated well with the film's message."

Set to be released on the 30th, 〈My Daughter is a Zombie〉 has recorded the highest reservation rate, surpassing summer blockbusters like 〈Omniscient Reader〉, 〈F1: The Movie〉, and 〈Fantastic Four: A New Beginning〉. Regarding this, Director Pil stated, "It's a very grateful thing, but I'm nervous and worried about how the audience will receive it."

Finally, Director Pil said, "It has the exciting genre fun of a zombie film, along with warm emotions and comedy. I believe these elements harmonized well with the actors' wonderful ensemble, and it will be a movie that families can enjoy together harmlessly after a long time."