KPop Demon Hunters has taken the world by storm, dominating Netflix and the pop charts, but don’t ever expect to see a live-action version. Creator and co-director Maggie Kang made it clear in a recent interview with the BBC that he has no plans, or desire, to see his record-breaking animated hit turned into a live-action film.
“There are so many elements of tone and comedy that are so suited to animation,” Kang told the outlet. “It’s really hard to imagine these characters in a live-action world. It would feel too concrete. So it wouldn’t work for me at all.”
Kang’s co-director Chris Appelhans he agrees with this too KPop Demon Hunters it belongs right where it is, in animation. “One of the coolest things about animation is that you can make these composites with incredibly large attributes,” Appelhans explained.
“Rumi can be this goofy comedian and then sing and do a spin kick a second later and then free fall into the sky.”
He continued, “The joy of animation is how far you can push it and elevate what’s possible. I remember them adapting a lot of different anime.” [into live action] and often it just seems a bit contrived.”
The film, which debuted on Netflix in late June, has become a cultural phenomenon. KPop Demon Hunters it is now the most watched film in the streamer’s history. Its infectious soundtrack broke records, becoming the first album ever to place four songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
Lead single “Golden” remained at No. 1 for eight consecutive weeks, and a sing-along movie version grossed $18 million in one weekend.
Kang, who co-wrote and co-directed the film, built the story around Huntr/x, a chart-topping K-pop girl group with a secret… they’re also demon hunters. Their main rivals, the Saja Boys, may seem like another slick boy band, but they are demons themselves.
The film balances high-energy musical performances, supernatural battles, and moving moments with the kind of stylized style that thrives in animation.
While the idea of a live-action adaptation might be appealing to studios, both Kang and Appelhans clearly see it KPop Demon Hunters as something particularly suited to the animated format, with a mix of exaggerated energy, surreal imagery and stylized emotions that simply wouldn’t translate the same way with real actors.
Netflix and Sony are already in talks to develop a sequel, which Kang was eager to explore. She’s particularly interested in expanding beyond the story of Rumi, the lead singer of Huntr/x, to dive deeper into the backstories of her bandmates, Zoey and Mira.
“We set up so much for potential backstory. Obviously, there are a lot of questions left unanswered and areas that aren’t explored, and we had to do that because there’s only so many movies you could tell in 85 minutes,” Kang said.
“This was Rumi’s story, and we have backstories for Zoey and Mira, which we actually put in the movie, but they kind of rejected it. It just wasn’t the movie for those stories.”
If KPop Demon Hunters continues its unstoppable run, a sequel seems inevitable. As for their thoughts on a live-action adaptation, I totally agree that this story and these characters are perfectly suited for animation and live-action would take away all the charm.
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
