K‑Pop Demon Hunters directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans firmly dismissed suggestions for a live-action adaptation of the hit film, arguing that several elements were uniquely “suited to animation”.
The film, released in June on Netflix, features a voice cast led by Teen Wolf’s Arden Cho and K-drama star Ahn Hyo Seop, along with May Hong and Yoo Ji Young. The supporting voice cast includes Kim Yun Jin, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Squid Game’s Lee Byung Hun.
The film follows members of a popular K-pop girl group called HUNTR/X who lead double lives as hunters battling a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, who turn out to be demons.
In a new interview, the directors explained why a live-action adaptation simply would not work.
“There’s so many elements of the tone and the comedy that’re so suited for animation. “It is really hard to imagine these characters in a live action world,” Kang told the BBC. “It would feel too grounded. So totally it wouldn’t work for me.”
Appelhans agreed, explaining the way the characters moved could only be captured in an animated film.
“One of the great things about animation is that you make these composites of impossibly great attributes. Rumi can be this goofy comedian and then singing and doing a spinning back-kick a second later and then freefalling through the sky,” the filmmaker said.
“The joy of animation is how far you can push and elevate what’s possible. I remember they adapted a lot of different animes and often times, it just feels a little stilted.”
The directors made the comments as KPop Demon Hunters became the most-viewed film ever on Netflix, with over 236 million views at the end of August.
At the same time, songs by HUNTR/X made Billboard history, with the singing trio of EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI – in their roles of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey – becoming the first all-female trio to top the charts since Destiny’s Child.
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They are also the first all-female group associated with K-pop to top the Hot 100 with their lead track “Golden”.
On the potential for a sequel, the creators said there was “nothing official” they could share, but they did have “more we can do with these characters in this world”.
In August, Kang said the origin stories of HUNTR/X members had to be left out in the film and that he was interested in exploring this in a potential sequel.
“We were trying to do a non-origin origin story with a concept that is brand new to people,” Kang told Entertainment Weekly.
“What is it about these girls that brought them into HUNTR/X and made them demon hunters? What is each of their back story? How did they get chosen? What is that journey like?”
In a sequel, Kang added, “we can reveal more of that backstory”.
