‘KPop Demon Hunters’ started without K-pop in it, director reveals

“KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang recently revealed that her Netflix animated hit underwent significant changes during development, originally lacking any musical elements when first pitched.

Curious origins: The Korean American filmmaker shared her original vision and creative journey at the Netflix Creative Asia conference in Busan last weekend. Her primary goal, she said, was addressing representation gaps that she witnessed throughout her career. In over a decade working in Hollywood animation, she said she “really never came across one” Korean project. Her initial approach centered on Korean folklore and supernatural beings including “dokkaebi,” “dalsin” and “saja” that shaped her childhood understanding of mythology.

Kang described her early creative process and how supernatural themes naturally evolved into a female-driven narrative. The initial demon hunter concept, however, needed further development. In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained how the project transformed: “It was conceived as a demon hunter thing with a badass group of girls who fight demons, because demon hunting is usually a side job that’s done in secret … It was like, ‘What is their day job?’ And K-pop was another thing that was uniquely Korean and popular … And that was the last ingredient that was added in, and it just kind of opened it up.” Kang connected this approach to Korean cultural traditions, telling the Busan audience how Korean shamans historically used music to ward off demons.

Unprecedented success: Kang’s creative approach has proven highly successful. The animated feature is now Netflix’s most-watched film status, while its soundtrack continues to achieve significant chart performance. HUNTR/X’s “Golden” has held the no. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks as of this week’s chart dated Sept. 27, marking the longest soundtrack dominance in over a decade. The soundtrack also created chart history by placing four songs simultaneously in the top 10, with Saja Boys’ “Soda Pop” holding at No. 5, “Your Idol” at No. 6 and “How It’s Done” at No. 10.