After raking up astronomical streaming numbers on Netflix, landing four songs high on the Billboard Hot 100, hypnotizing your children into watching it hundreds of times, and taking home a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature — with an Academy Award quite possibly coming over the weekend — KPop Demon Hunters is finally getting a sequel. Original directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are returning to once again helm the project, as part of an exclusive multiyear writing and directing partnership they’ve inked with Netflix.
“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” said Kang in a statement. “There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”
Adds Appelhans, “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.”
For those not familiar with the pop culture phenomenon, KPop Demon Hunters is an animated movie about a Korean KPop trio, Huntrix, who somehow find the time to battle demons and create freakishly catchy music. It’s the most popular movie in the history of Netflix, with over 540 million views. (The runner-up, the 2021 action comedy Red Notice, starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, and Ritu Arya, has a mere 230 million views.)
“With KPop Demon Hunters, Maggie and Chris didn’t just reach audiences, they ignited a global fandom that crossed languages, generations, and genres,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. “We’re incredibly proud to deepen our partnership with them and, together with our partners at Sony Pictures Animation, build this universe in ways that will surprise and delight fans all over the world.”
The sequel is slated to arrive on Netflix at some point in 2029. By then, the original might be approaching the billion-view mark on the streaming platform.
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