The co-director of KPop Demon Hunters, Maggie Kang, in a recent interview with Deadline clarified some interesting details about the franchise. Including the fact that the movie, in its original idea, was going to be “dark, adult, and very violent”. Something that contrasts with the family-friendly and much kinder tone of the final version that we have been able to see.
A tremendously successful change
The reason for this is that, when they had been developing for six months, they saw the potential for the movie to become a franchise. It was Kristine Belson, president of Sony Pictures Animation, who suggested they change the tone to a more family-friendly one, realizing they could make a movie that would reach a much wider audience. This opened up the possibility of turning the film into a full franchise and, with it, making much more money.
Belson proved to be right, given the success of the movie. A success among critics and the public that is spreading like a transmedia franchise with merchandising everywhere that, at the same time, has won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Something that very few commercial successes achieve.
Now, Sony has greenlit a second part. KPop Demon Hunters 2 still does not have a release date, beyond a generic 2029. Its director claims that “she feels immensely proud, as a Korean director, that the audience wants more of this Korean story and these Korean characters”. Promising that “this is nothing but the beginning”. It seems that, indeed, that change from the original idea was a good idea.
