Paramount has set untitled K-Pop Movie from Hybe America with Ji-young Yoo (KPop Demon Hunters, Expat) and Eric Nam (The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and Transplant) starring.
Benson Lee (Seoul Searching) is directing for a Feb. 12, 2027 theatrical release. The movie is expected to be the first major American studio film shot entirely in South Korea.
Eileen Shim wrote the latest draft. Previous writers include Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), Elyse Hollander and Lee. The movie follows a young Korean-American woman, who defies her family’s wishes to compete in a televised competition to find the next K-pop girl group.
“This film is my love letter to K-pop – its energy, passion, magic, and the incredible community behind it. I’m deeply grateful to Paramount Pictures for championing the project, to our producers for their unwavering dedication, to our talented and dynamic cast, and to the legends of the genre helping us bring this story to life. This one’s for the dreamers,” Lee said in a statement.
Pic is produced by James Shin, the Film/TV President of Hybe America, Arthur Spector and Joshua Davis of Epic Magazine and Scooter Braun. EPs are Joshuah Bearman of Epic Magazine, John Zaozirny and Scott Manson.
Bryan Oh, Senior Vice President of Production is overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. Paramount Pictures’ President of the Motion Picture Group, Michael Ireland, originally oversaw the project during its development at 20th Century Fox before acquiring it in turnaround from Disney and bringing it to Paramount under current studio head Brian Robbins.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Paramount Pictures on this historic opportunity to bring this story to audiences worldwide. This film captures the incredible dedication and artistry that defines K-pop and its insatiable popularity, while showcasing the universal themes of chasing your dreams against all odds,” said Shin.
Yoo won the Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival for her portrayal of “Hayoung,” a lonely 16-year-old Korean American girl staggered by the separation of her parents, in So Young Shelly Yo’s directorial debut Smoking Tigers. She starred alongside Nicole Kidman in Amazon Prime Video’s six-part limited series Expats from writer/director Lulu Wang (The Farwell), for which she earned a Gotham TV Award nomination in 2024 for Outstanding Performance in a Limited Series. This year, she can be seen in the edgy 80s action thriller Freaky Tales alongside an all-star cast including Pedro Pascal and Jay Ellis; Until Dawn, the feature adaptation of the PlayStation game namesake; and voices a leading role in Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation’s breakout hit KPop Demon Hunters, an animated feature following a K-pop group who use their secret identities as demon hunters to protect their fans from supernatural danger. The actress is repped by Entertainment 360, Gersh and Del Shaw Moonves
Nam was named a 2023 TIME100 Impact Award Honoree, GQ Korea’s Man of the Year, Forbes 30 Under 30, and an ADCOLOR Catalyst Award winner. Nam recently made his acting debut in the feature film Transplant alongside Bill Camp (Joker, The Queen’s Gambit, 12 Years a Slave). He voices Aang in Paramount’s upcoming animated feature The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and just wrapped Season 4 of The Traitors US on NBC Peacock with Alan Cumming. The actor is repped by WME and 3 Arts Entertainment. Epic is repped by CAA and Linda Lichter at LGNA.
