Netflix is finally shining the spotlight on its new animated feature, K-Pop: Demon Hunters. Announced over four years ago from Sony Pictures Animation, the colorful musical adventure is now confirmed to hit the streaming platform on June 20, and with the date comes a batch of new images teasing the epic battle between idols and monsters and the reveal of who will be taking the stage in the film. Arden Cho, who was most recently seen on the streamer in its live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation, will be part of the trio of performers fighting back evil alongside May Hong and upcoming Until Dawn star Ji-young Yoo. K-drama star Ahn Hyo-seop (Dr. Romantic) will also star.
K-Pop: Demon Hunters centers on superstars Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who sell out stadiums by day and moonlight as badass demon hunters at night to protect their fans from the supernatural. They’ve managed to keep their work off the stage a secret, but that could soon change when they face their greatest threat yet — an irresistible rival boy band. The hot new group are actually demons in disguise, setting up for a musical showdown of epic proportions. The images show off a few of the other colorful characters involved in the idols’ story, as well as their fiery clash with the cursed boy band and the camaraderie that makes the trio such a good team. Cho described the film as being focused on “so much more than just K-pop,” saying, “It’s really about culture and identity, and who you are and your place in the world. For me, it’s so meaningful to get to be a part of this movie and play Rumi, and I wish I had something like this growing up.”
In addition to the core four stars, the film boasts a killer supporting cast featuring the talents of Yunjin Kim, Joel Kim Booster, Liza Koshy, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Byung Hun Lee. At the helm of the film is a Netflix veteran in Chris Appelhans, who previously directed The Wish Dragon on the platform, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie‘s head of story, Maggie Kang. Kang also originated the story of K-Pop and co-wrote the screenplay with Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechan. In Appelhans’s eyes, the stars had the right mix of singing and K-drama experience to make their work feel more authentic, saying in a statement:
“We have an amazing voice cast, and the range of their performances is what gives the film such an original tone. Byung Hun Lee and Ahn Hyo-seop bring authentic K-drama emotion, while Arden, May, and Ji-young blend the charisma of legit K-pop stars with the vulnerability and comedy of real young women juggling a dual life like no other.”
‘K-Pop: Demon Slayers’ Assembled a Superstar Lineup of K-pop Artists
A K-pop musical has to be filled with good K-pop tunes, and the team went all out in bringing in talent on the music end. Netflix announced an ensemble of world-renowned writers and producers who came together to craft the soundtrack, headlined by Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung of the internationally popular girl group TWICE, who performed an original song. Also among the artists taking up writing, producing, or performing duties were Teddy Park, 24, Danny Chung, IDO, Vince, KUSH and DOMINSUK of THEBLACKLABEL, EJAE, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick, Daniel Rojas, and Ian Eisendrath. As a fan of K-pop herself, Kang was very excited to get such big names on board to do the industry and the community around it justice:
“I have been a fan of these incredible artists and their work for many years, so it’s a dream come true to have original songs written and produced for our film by legendary talent such as THEBLACKLABEL. I also couldn’t be more thrilled about our collaboration with Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung of TWICE. It really legitimizes our film and songs in the K-pop world. It’s proof that we achieved what we set out to do, which is make a real K-pop group.”
K-Pop: Demon Hunters premieres on Netflix on June 20. Check out the new images in the gallery above.
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