appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

The Korea Times

Actor and producer Ma Dong-seok, best known for his bone-crunching action in The Roundup series, is set to captivate audiences once again, this time venturing into the occult with his latest film, Holy Night: Demon Hunters.
In the movie Ma plays Bau, a formidable troubleshooter using his fists to exorcise demons as a leader of the “Holy Night” team.
The 54-year-old actor, also known as Don Lee, expressed his enthusiasm for the project in a recent interview, highlighting the action sequences made possible by the film’s fantasy elements.
“I put a lot of effort into the action sequences, and the fantasy genre allowed for a more impactful and refreshing result,” he said. He also shared his satisfaction in supporting the debut of director Lim Dae-hee.


While working on the highly anticipated next instalments in The Roundup series, with at least one expected to film next year, Ma focused on the unique aspects of Holy Night: Demon Hunters.
He highlighted the emphasis on impactful sound and action best experienced in cinemas. “With the absolute decrease in cinema attendance, for people to come to the cinema the movie has to be entertaining,” Ma said.
“We put a lot of effort into the sound and the impact, things audiences can’t fully experience on TV.”
Drawing inspiration from dark hero narratives like Marvel Comics’ Venom and late Japanese cartoonist Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, Ma aimed to create a distinctly Korean take on the genre.
“I wondered how the movie would be if we combined these dark hero narratives with our own style,” he said.
Expanding on the world-building of Holy Night: Demon Hunters, Ma talked about creating a larger universe with various backstories and fantasy elements. Rather than reveal everything in the film, they opted to showcase a part of it, with the remaining narrative currently unfolding in an online comic.
As long as I’m doing action movies, I think I’ll have to carry the ‘Ma Dong-seok’ character to some extent
Ma Dong-seok
While future film instalments are not currently planned, Ma hinted at the possibility of exploring more stories through comics or novels.
Holy Night: Demon Hunters centres on the battle against evil led by the exorcist Sharon (Seohyun), with Bau as her powerful support.
Ma also highlighted his interest in diverse genres beyond action, including horror and even a movie about a heavy metal band. However, he acknowledged that audiences currently associate him with his signature action hero persona.

“As long as I’m doing action movies, I think I’ll have to carry the ‘Ma Dong-seok’ character to some extent,” he said, while emphasising his efforts to bring variety to his action roles in different productions.
Ma likened his situation to that of his idol, Jackie Chan, where any film starring him is inherently perceived as a “Jackie Chan movie”, regardless of the specific role.
“I’m not like an orchestra that can play many instruments. I can only play my one instrument. So, I think some familiarity is unavoidable. However, I’m trying to bring variation by showcasing different genres and approaches within my work,” Ma said.
He also pointed out that Bau exhibits a different dimension compared to his previous characters, showcasing vulnerability and sadness stemming from his past.
“The fact that Bau is half-demon is hinted at visually in the film, with the full backstory being explored in the prequel webtoon because of time constraints in the movie,” he said.

Ma praised the performances of Seohyun, Jung Ji-so and the entire cast, highlighting Seohyun’s transformation into a character starkly different from her usual upright image.
“Seohyun acted so well. Movies with a lot of emotional scenes are always very difficult, and movies with a lot of action are like battlefields. Actors can get hurt with just a small mistake. I even broke my nose after getting hit by a fist, so it’s a little bit crooked now.
“I’m so grateful to Seohyun for doing such a great job, also from the perspective of a producer,” he said.
Holy Night: Demon Hunters will be released in cinemas on April 30.
Read the original story at The Korea Times.


What’s showing at South Korea’s BiFan 2026 as it celebrates 30 years of Asian genre cinema

Meet Park Ji-hyun, rising star of K-dramas Flex X Cop and See You at Work Tomorrow!

How films like Backrooms and Exit 8 are turning liminal spaces into a horror trend

How Colony features a new kind of zombie to reflect modern fears

Asian cinema: Korean films

Ma Dong-seok on new action-horror movie Holy Night: Demon Hunters and its dark-hero energy

Ma Dong-seok aka Don Lee and Holy Night: Demon Hunters co-star Seohyun. The Korean actor and producer says his latest film is made for the big screen. Photo: Instagram/kimchidaily

Ma in a still from Holy Night: Demon Hunters. Photo: Instagram/dongseok.fans

Ma and Seohyun at a news conference ahead of Holy Night: Demon Hunters’s opening in cinemas. Photo: Instagram/actorseohyun

K-drama casting news about Chae Soo-bin, Lee Jae-wook, Go Youn-jung and more

Lee Jae-wook (left) and Go Youn-jung in a still from Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow. Photo: tvN

Lee Jae-wook in a still from The Impossible Heir. The actor is set to lead the Korean drama series Honey Jar Project. Photo: Disney+

Go Youn-jung in a still from Moving. 

Koo Kyo-hwan in a still from Parasyte: The Grey. Photo: Cho Wonjin/Netflix

Chae Soo-bin in a still from When the Phone Rings.

Moon So-ri (left) and Park Hae-joon in a still from When Life Gives You Tangerines. 

From a RoboCop x Russ Meyer story to Shu Qi as sexy avenger, Hong Kong exploitation films

Actress Shu Qi in a sceneSex and Zen II. Photo: Wong Jing’s Workshop Ltd

Hsu Hsiao-dan (centre) and Amy Yip (right) in a still from Robotrix, a 1991 exploitation film made in Hong Kong and described by the Post’s critic as “like a Chinese RoboCop invested with the spirit of Russ Meyer”. Photo: Online

Fan Mei-sheng (left) and William Ho Ka-kui in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media

Louis Fan in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media Limited

Louis Fan (centre) in a still from Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. Photo: Fortune Star Media

Chikako Aoyama in a still from Robotrix.

Shu Qi in a still from Sex and Zen II (1996). Photo: Wong Jing’s Workshop

Netflix’s Havoc director on how the Tom Hardy thriller is an ode to Hong Kong action films

Tom Hardy in a still from Havoc. Photo: Netflix

Tom Hardy in a still from Havoc. Gareth Evans’ bloodthirsty thriller, which the director says is inspired by the “heroic bloodshed” genre of Hong Kong filmmaking, starts streaming on Netflix on April 25. Photo: Netflix

Welsh director Gareth Evans in London at the world premiere of Havoc. Photo: AFP

Yeo Yann Yann in a still from Havoc. Photo: Netflix

Jessie Mei Lee in a still from Havoc. Photo: Netflix

Iko Uwais (right) in a still from The Raid (2011), Evans’ breakout hit.

Evans with cast members Luis Guzman, Tom Hardy and Yeo Yann Yann at the world premiere of Havoc in London. Photo: Invision/AP

7 of the best new K-dramas to watch in April 2025, including Netflix thriller series Karma

Shin Min-a as Lee Ju-yeon in a still from Karma. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Shin Min-a as Lee Ju-yeon in a still from Karma, a limited series debuting on Netflix in April 2025. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Lifestyle

K-drama

K-movies

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

K-Pop

Korean actor-producer talks about drawing on dark-hero Marvel comics and manga for new film, and bringing variation to the roles he plays


Korean actor-producer talks about drawing on dark-hero Marvel comics and manga for new film, and bringing variation to the roles he plays.


Cinema

What's hot in Korea

South Korean celebrities

Korea Times

Ma Dong-seok on new action-horror movie Holy Night: Demon Hunters and its dark-hero energy

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Korean actor-producer talks about drawing on dark-hero Marvel comics and manga for new film, and bringing variation to the roles he plays

Korean actor-producer talks about drawing on dark-hero Marvel comics and manga for new film, and bringing variation to the roles he plays