KPop Demon Hunters creator Maggie Kang recently told the BBC that she doesn’t want to see her record-breaking Netflix animated film adapted into live-action in the future.
“There are a lot of elements in tone and comedy that lend themselves well to animation,” Kang told the press. “It’s really hard to imagine these characters in a live-action world. They feel too grounded. So it just doesn’t work for me.”
Since its release in late June, “KPop Demon Hunters” has become a cultural phenomenon as the most-watched movie in Netflix history. The film’s soundtrack topped the Billboard charts and made history as the first soundtrack album to have four songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The lead single “Golden” has been at number one for eight weeks. The singalong version of the film was released in theaters in late August and grossed $18 million in one weekend.
Kang created the story for “KPop Demon Hunters” and co-wrote and co-directed the film. The movie centers around a hugely popular K-pop girl group called Huntr/x, whose three members are also secret demon warriors. The women battle a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, who are secretly demons.
Chris Appelhans, Kang’s co-director, also told the BBC that KPop Demon Hunters should not be made into a live-action film.
“One of the great things about animation is that you can create incredible combinations of attributes,” Appelhans says. “Rumi becomes this goofy comedian who can sing, do a spinning back kick, and then free fall through the sky in one second.”
“The fun of animation is how far you can push and enhance the possibilities,” he added. “I remember them adapting various anime[to live-action]but a lot of times it felt a little stilted.”
Variety reported earlier this year that Netflix and Sony were in talks to produce a sequel to the animated hit. Kang has openly expressed his desire to continue the series as an anime in several interviews. In an interview with Variety, she said she’s looking forward to the sequel, especially expanding on the history of group members Zoe and Mila beyond Huntr/x’s lead vocalist Rumi.
“We’ve set up so much for potential backstory. Obviously there’s a lot of unanswered questions and unexplored areas. There’s only so much a movie can tell in 85 minutes, so we had to do that,” Kang said. “This is Rumi’s story, and there’s also a story behind Zoe and Mila. We actually put it in the movie, but it was kind of rejected. It wasn’t a movie that told that kind of story.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” is currently available on Netflix.
