After earning critical and commercial acclaim worldwide and scripting history as the most watched movie in Netflix's history, KPop Demon Hunters is returning for a sequel. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are coming back for the second part, which is aiming for a release in 2029.
"I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters," Kang said, adding, "There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning." The upcoming film will be the first project out of the streamer's exclusive multi-year writing and directing partnership with Kang and Appelhans across animation.
KPop Demon Hunters follows a K-pop girl group, Huntrix, who lead double lives as demon hunters; they face off against a rival boy band, the Saja Boys, whose members are secretly demons. It features the voices of Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun.
"These characters are like family to us, their world has become our second home. We’re excited to write their next chapter, challenge them, and watch them evolve — and continue pushing the boundaries of how music, animation, and story can come together," Appelhans shared.
Interestingly, the news comes less than three days ahead of the Oscars ceremony where the musical fantasy film has been nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for 'Golden'. The song had previously won a Grammy Award, becoming the first K-pop song to achieve the feat.
Developed and backed by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters released directly on Netflix in June last year. Since then, it has amassed over 500 million views on the streamer with the music quickly reaching the number 1 position on Billboard’s Hot 100. It is the most popular movie of all time on the streamer. A sing-along version was released in theatres later last year which turned out to become a massive box office blockbuster.
Details regarding the sequel are sparse as the film is only in its initial stages.
