Development on the feature has begun with Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans directing alongside Oscar-winning ‘Shrek’ producer Aron Warner.
Sony Pictures Animation has begun work on an animated musical feature, for now known as K-POP: Demon Hunters, about a girls K-Pop band that kills demons. Maggie Kang (The Lego Ninjago Movie) and Chris Appelhans (Wish Dragon) are set to direct alongside Oscar-winning producer Aron Warner (Shrek, Wish Dragon). Production designer Mingjue Helen Chen (Raya and the Last Dragon, Big Hero 6) and art director Ami Thompson (Raya and the Last Dragon, Ralph Breaks the Internet) are also onboard.
SPA describes the film as a “musical action adventure that follows the story of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, as they balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as bad-ass demon hunters, set against a colorful backdrop of fashion, food, style and the most popular music movement of this generation.”
Got that? Food, fashion, and demon-killing. Sounds like animated influencers in the making.
According to Kang, "Having been a fan of the genre since its beginnings in the '90s, this film is my love letter to K-Pop and my Korean roots. It encompasses and celebrates everything K-Pop is - it's the film I would want to see as a lifelong fan, and I hope the millions of K-Pop fans out there in the world will feel the same."
"I've always wanted to do a film about the power of music - to unite, bring joy, build community,” Appelhans added. “K-Pop is the greatest embodiment of this in our lifetime, and we're really excited to honor and showcase that through the lens of animation."
Applehan’s directorial debut, Wish Dragon, was hit theatres in China this past January and will be released worldwide later this year by Netflix. Sony and Sony Pictures Animation are among the studios who funded the CG animated feature. Written and directed by Appelhans and starring Jackie Chan, the film tells the story of Din, a working-class college student with big dreams but small means, and Long, a cynical but all-powerful dragon capable of granting wishes. Together, the two set off on an adventure through modern day Shanghai in pursuit of Din’s long-lost childhood friend, Lina. Their journey forces them to answer some of life's biggest questions – because when you can wish for anything, you must decide what really matters.
Warner, Chris Bremble, and Chan produced the film. In addition to Chan, the voice cast includes John Cho, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy Wong, Constance Wu, Will Yun Lee, Jimmy O’Yang, Aaron Yoo, Bobby Lee, and Ronnie Chieng.
Source: Sony Pictures Animation
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
