Not to bang a drum that’s already been pulverized, but any brand new Netflix fantasy series that debuts is always one step away from cancellation after the company opted to axe almost 30 projects set in the genre since the start of 2020 alone. Fortunately, Hellbound wasn’t one of them.
Hailing from Yeon Sang-ho – the bloodthirsty mastermind behind Train to Busan and Peninsula – the hybrid of horror and thriller focused on a supernatural phenomenon that saw otherworldly demons begin popping up all over Seoul with the express purpose of condemning its sinful residents to eternal damnation.
Plunging the city into chaos, a religious zealot emerges as a prospective figurehead, all while society devolves into a living hell. As far as original conceits go, Hellbound set out a stall as one of the most intriguing, nerve-shredding, and visually daring to hit Netflix in a long time, so there was naturally an excruciating wait to discover whether or not it would be renewed for a second run of episodes.
The show premiered in November of 2021, wasn’t officially awarded another season until September of 2022, and now Netflix has confirmed in August of 2023 that production is underway at long last. Even by the platform’s standards that’s a hell of waiting game, and it’s probably going to be another eternity until Hellbound makes its way back onto screens.
It’s definitely happening, though, so there is at least solace to be taken from the fact not every one-of-a-kind fantasy is cursed to roam the wilderness of being a one-season wonder.