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It’s been a little over a month since Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix released KPop Demon Huntersbut you wouldn’t be able to tell given how much staying power the movie has had online. Now, as if answering fans’ hanging questions on when the streamer will announce a sequel, a new report has revealed that Netflix and Sony intend to strike while the iron is hot on KPop Demon Hunters‘ meteoric acclaim with plans to expand the film in the early stages.
According to a new report from The Wrap, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix plan on expanding the film into multiple projects, including sequels and a live-action movie. During a second-quarter earnings call earlier this month, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos spotlighted the film, calling it “a phenomenal success out of the gate… And the fact that people are in love with this film and in love with the music from this film, that will keep it going for a long time. So we’re really thrilled. And now the next beat is, where does it go from here?”
Although those next steps have immediately included the production of a vinyl and plushie release, Sony and Netflix seek to stay true to their reference to KPop Demon Hunters as its Frozen, with plans for projects like a stage musical, live-action remake, TV series, and sequel films to expand the series into a trilogy. Persons familiar with the situation also told The Wrap that a short film for KPop Demon Hunters is being discussed to further “bridge content” between films, similar to Frozen.
Granted, all of these lofty plans to ramp up KPop Demon Hunters projects have yet to be accompanied by the official announcement that its co-directors, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, have been signed on to helm the projects. As The Wrap notes, Netflix owning the rights to KPop Demon Hunters IP gives them credence to do whatever they want with the series, with or without Sony Pictures Animation. Regardless, sources close to the matter indicate that Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation intend to collaborate on the franchise. Still, as Kang said in a recent interview with The Ankler, it would be a missed opportunity not to pursue expanding the film.
“Most movies end with a possibility because you always want to keep that door open. There’s a lot of stories that we can tell. There’s a lot of backstories that we haven’t fleshed out,” Kang told The Ankler. “There’s a lot of things that we can do, whether we’re officially doing it, we don’t know. It’s only been five weeks, so it’s still pretty early.”
Announced in 2021, KPop Demon Hunters was released on Netflix on June 20. The film follows Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, a girl group named Huntr/x, who must balance their skyrocketing superstardom with their secret identity as demon hunters. They use the power of music and magical girl action to protect their fans from an impending demonic invasion. However, their challenges escalate when demons concoct a plan to create a rival boy band called the Saja Boys to swoop in and steal their fandom.
Ironically, KPop Demon Hunters experienced a sudden, surprising, and explosive popularity, similar to that of its girl group. As of the time of writing, the film has amassed over 26.3 million views in its sixth week of streaming, bringing its viewing totals to 132.4 million, making history as Netflix’s most-watched animated film ever, according to the streamer. After weeks of being in the top 10 in all countries, KPop Demon Hunters is on the cusp of entering Netflix’s all-time top 10 within a week or so, according to The Wrap.
In addition to its original songs, which were produced by K-pop label Black Label and featured lyricists behind BTS hits, vocal performances from EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, and even an end-credits version of one of its tracks, “Takedown”, performed by Twice’s Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung, bolstering their earworm nature, KPop Demon Hunters‘ tracks were also rising on the Billboard charts. According to The Wrap, “Golden” recently returned to the number one spot on the Billboard Global 200. The animated film’s OST also caught the Academy’s attention on Twitter, leading to the submission of the track for award nominations at the Academy Awards.
In an interview with The Wrap, Kang discussed what sets KPop Demon Hunters apart from other animated projects, emphasizing its portrayal of Korean culture and the strong female characters, who are as goofy and fallible as anyone else, as a defining characteristic of the film.
“There was a space in the superhero area, where I felt like women were not really depicted the way that I wanted to see them,” Kang told The Wrap. “I wanted to see women who are allowed to be silly and crass and make stupid faces and not be so pretty all the time and have their imperfections. Those are all the ingredients that just came together.”
While the plotline of a sequel is still in the hypothetical planning stages, speaking with io9, actor Ji-young Yoo said she already has a pitch in mind for what a sequel film would be: her character and Huntr/x’s resident rapper and lyricist, Zoey.
“When the movie comes out, I do actually have a very specific pitch that I’ve already told [directors] Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans about,” Yoo told io9. “For Zoey, some of the stuff she’s going through being the only Asian American in the group [where] she feels out of place some of the time, which I think is very resonant with anyone. I would love to see her find a place where she doesn’t feel like she needs to please as much. She spends a lot of her energy trying to make sure everyone else is okay, and I want Zoey to check in on whether Zoey is okay. Maybe that’s the sequel.”
Kpop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix.
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