KPOP DEMON HUNTERS Star Pitches a “Very, Very Serious” Early 20th Century Prequel: “That Would Be Our ANDOR”
Netflix’s animated smash KPop Demon Hunters isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The action-packed musical fantasy about demon-slaying idols has already locked in a sequel, but one of its stars has her eyes set on something completely different… and way more intense.
Ji-young Yoo, who voices Zoey in the film, recently shared an idea for a prequel that would take the franchise into a dramatically different era of Korean history. And if it happens, it wouldn’t be flashy pop spectacle. It would be something much heavier.
"I love Pansori, the traditional Korean singing," Yoo told Collider. "Ejae does her spin on that in the intro to the movie when you hear her almost wailing vocal, so I would love to see ancient dynastic Korea.
“Or I'm really fascinated by the period from about the late 1800s to 1945, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. I don't know if that would be like a family movie – I think it would be a very, very serious movie – but I would be very tuned in for that era of KPop Demon Hunters. That would be our Andor."
That’s a pretty awesome pitch, and I’d actually love to watch that! For fans who might not be deep into Korean musical history, Pansori is a traditional form of storytelling through song that carries an emotional intensity.
Yoo’s suggestion to build a prequel around that style immediately shifts the tone from neon-lit idol battles to something more historical and dramatic. Setting a story during Korea’s late 19th century or the Japanese occupation period would give the franchise a grounded, human edge while still leaving room for supernatural mythology.
Comparing it to Andor is especially interesting. Just like the Star Wars series took a familiar universe and approached it with a mature, politically charged lens, a serious prequel to KPop Demon Hunters could explore how demon hunters existed in a much darker chapter of Korean history.
KPop Demon Hunters follows Huntr/x, a K-pop girl group that secretly protects the world from demonic threats using the power of their voices. Their biggest challenge comes from the Saja Boys, a rival boy band hiding a not-so-human secret.
Yoo’s Zoey serves as the group’s main rapper and lyricist, and when the mics go down, she’s slicing through demons with a set of slick throwing knives.
The movie has become a full-blown phenomenon on Netflix. It’s currently the platform’s most-watched original movie ever, surpassing 500 million views before the end of 2025 and still climbing. That kind of success almost guarantees the universe isn’t going anywhere.
A sequel, KPop Demon Hunters 2, is already on the way, though fans will have to wait until 2029 to see it. With numbers like these, expanding the franchise beyond a straightforward follow-up feels like a no-brainer.
A prequel set in early 20th century Korea might sound unexpected for an animated idol action movie, but the idea of blending folklore, historical tension, and demon-hunting mythology into something more mature is something I’d love to see.