KPop Demon Hunters 2, and whatever else lies in store for the burgeoning franchise, is in very good hands. The first animated movie became a global phenomenon that still hasn’t slowed down all that much, even as we approach the one year anniversary of its release. KPop Demon Hunters has broken Netflix records, becoming its most-watched movie ever by a wide margin, while also going on to dominate the Billboard 200, and win Oscars and Grammys. It’s had McDonald’s shorts, toy lines, and lots of other merch, with plenty more on the way to capitalize on the buzz around the Netflix/Sony release.
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With all of that success, it’s no surprise a sequel is happening, even if KPop Demon Hunters 2 will take a long time to release – with it most likely arriving in 2029. It would be fair to have some concerns about this: sequels to surprise successes haven’t always worked out, and are often made for the wrong reasons, especially in a landscape so dominated by franchises and capitalizing on whatever known IPs a studio has the rights to. Thankfully, that doesn’t sound like the case with the KPop Demon Hunters sequel, nor its wider franchise potential.
KPop Demon Hunters Is Getting Its Sequel & Franchise Expansion Right
Maggie Kang, the co-writer (alongside Chris Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechanand) and co-director (with Appelhans), recently confirmed that KPop Demon Hunters 2 will be “fresh, surprising and original.” Those comments aren’t particularly surprising themselves, but they are an encouraging sign. Far too many sequels fall into the trap of simply repeating what worked in the first movie and following that same successful formula. Obviously, it needs to keep some beloved elements, but if it’s getting another installment, it’s only right that it should be doing something new and interesting that can really push it forward in some exciting ways.
What’s perhaps even more encouraging from Kang’s comments, though, is that she confirmed she and Appelhans have full creative control over the sequel and the franchise as a whole. Again, this could’ve very easily gone wrong, especially in terms of any potential spinoffs: it’s not realistic to think that the duo will write and direct everything themselves, but them being the ones who have the say and approval over anything that is made should ensure the baseline level of quality established by the first film is maintained even as it eventually branches out.
That branching out itself might also be a cause for concern. Not everything is meant to start a franchise, and when you start getting deep into sequels, prequels, and other spinoffs, it doesn’t always take long for the well of stories and characters you’re mining to run dry, and studios begin scraping the bottom looking for something – anything – to use, simply because it’s an IP and there’s a chance to cash-in. That shouldn’t happen with Kang and Appelhans’ control, but it’s also worth noting that this was earmarked for having franchise potential early on.
Per Deadline, during early development of the movie, which was originally going to be darker and more adult, it was Sony Pictures Animation President Kristine Belson who suggested making it more family friendly, believing it had “franchise potential.” This shows that the idea of doing more beyond a single movie has always been baked into KPop Demon Hunters to some degree, even if that franchise becoming a reality obviously depended on it becoming a major success. But it isn’t just happening as a response to that success, and that’s a good thing.
There’s certainly a richness to KPop Demon Hunters‘ world, which is ripe for further exploration. We’ve only really scratched the surface of both the demons and the hunters, and it’s easy to imagine going back generations, or even into the future. Similarly, if those demons exist, then who knows what other types of creatures, monsters, or other dark forces might do as well. KPop Demon Hunters feels like a spiritual successor to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in many ways, and just like that show grew beyond its titular threat, so too might this.
Wherever it goes, fans can at least be relieved to know that everything coming from the franchise is going to be in the safest possible hands, and made for the right reasons. When so many franchises get those things wrong, that’s the best possible starting point for KPop Demon Hunters to expand from, and for things to stay golden.
KPop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix, as if you didn’t already know that.
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