‘KPop Demon Hunters’ creator sees potential for more Huntr/x — but not in live action
- Share via
- In an interview with the BBC, “KPop Demon Hunters” creator Maggie Kang said she believes there is potential for more stories set in the movie’s world.
- While nothing is officially in the works, Kang says any potential sequel would have to be a story “that we want to see.”
- Both Kang and co-director Chris Appelhans believe a live-action remake of the movie “wouldn’t work.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” creator Maggie Kang thinks there’s potential for more Huntr/x stories in the future, but only in animation.
In a recent interview with the BBC, the co-director of the Netflix phenomenon said there is nothing officially in the works, but she thinks “there’s definitely more we can do with these characters in this world.” Kang and her co-director Chris Appelhans also assured fans that if another “KPop Demon Hunters” were to happen, “it will be a story that deserves to be a sequel, and it will be something that we want to see.”
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ trio shine ‘Golden’ like they’re born to be in first full-length TV performance
Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the singing voices of the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ girl group Huntrix — perform the platinum hit ‘Golden’ live on ‘The Tonight Show.’
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the movie follows a popular K-pop girl group whose members use their music and dance moves (and magical powers) to fight demons and protect the world. But Huntr/x’s leader Rumi is keeping a secret from her bandmates Mira and Zoey that could lead to their downfall.
Since its June debut, “KPop Demon Hunters” and its catchy soundtrack have smashed numerous records on Netflix as well as the Billboard charts. The movie’s massive popularity led to a limited theatrical run for sing-along screenings as well as live performances of its songs.
With Hollywood’s current trend of sequels and remakes, it’s easy to believe that “KPop Demon Hunters” could spawn its own franchise. But Kang and Appelhans both insist that a live-action adaptation should be off the table.
“It’s really hard to imagine these characters in a live action world,” Kang told the BBC, pointing to the tone and comedic elements in “KPop.” “It would feel too grounded. So totally it wouldn’t work for me.”
‘K-pop Demon Hunters,’ an American-made film, has gained a huge audience in South Korea, thanks to its nods to Korean folklore, pop culture and habits.
Appelhans agreed that the characters in “KPop Demon Hunters” are best suited for animation and worried a live-action version of them could feel too “stilted.”
“One of the great things about animation is that you make these composites of impossibly great attributes,” Appelhans told the BBC. “Rumi can be this goofy comedian and then singing and doing a spinning back-kick a second later and then free-falling through the sky. The joy of animation is how far you can push and elevate what’s possible.”
For now, it seems that Huntr/x will keep shining only in the medium they were born to be — in animation.
