With KPop Demon Hunters breaking Netflix records and drawing global acclaim, some fans have already started imagining what a live-action adaptation might look like. But according to co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, that’s not the path they want to take.
“It’s 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 echoed the sentiment, explaining that the exaggerated movement, color, and rhythm of animation were essential to capturing the film’s world—a vibrant Seoul where K-Pop idols secretly moonlight as demon hunters.
“One of the great things about animation is that you make these composites of impossibly great attributes,” Appelhans said. “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.”
Their comments have resonated strongly with fans who agree that the movie’s slick choreography and dazzling supernatural battles are best experienced in their animated form. Many note that KPop Demon Hunters feels like a love letter to both Korean culture and the global animation scene—a combination that could lose its flair in a grounded, live-action setting.
As the film continues to dominate global charts and awards chatter, it’s clear that Kang and Appelhans are committed to keeping KPop Demon Hunters exactly where it shines most—in the vibrant world of animation.
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