The Korean Crime-Action Webtoon KNUCKLE GIRL is Getting a Film Adaptation From Amazon Studios

Amazon Studios is developing a film adaptation of the Korean crime-action webtoon Knuckle Girl, and the production is being structured as a Korea-Japan co-venture.

The story revolves around “a promising woman boxer, Ran, who takes on school bullies and participates in illegal bouts. When her sister is kidnapped by a criminal gang, Ran must risk her own life, by breaking into the underworld wearing brass knuckledusters, rather than boxing gloves.”

The movie is being directed by Chang. Yes, the Korean filmmaker goes by a single name, and the director previously helmed the 2014 film The Target. The project stars Japanese actress Miyoshi Iyaka, who previously starred in the 2010 film Confession, and also stars Netflix’s Japanese dystopian thriller Alice in Borderland. She went through six months of fight training to prepare for this role.

Chang said in a statement: “This is a global project involving a writer, Japanese actors, and a global OTT, and the thrilling story, sensuous directing, and passionate performances of the actors will allow you to experience a wealth of fun that is different from webtoons.”

An Amazon Studios spokesman said: “This is the first live-action adaptation of an original webcomic and our first Japanese-Korean collaboration.”

Knuckle Girl was created by Jeong Sang Young, and it was first published in 2014 on KakaoPage, a webtoon platform owned by Kakao Entertainment, part of Korean entertainment-tech giant Kakao. It was later released on Kakao Entertainment’s Japanese cartoon site Piccoma.

The film will be released on Prime Video on November 2nd.