6 days ago
Live-action Solo Leveling series announced by Netflix, Byeon Woo-seok to star as Sung Jin-woo
Kpop Demon Hunters may be ruling Netflix now, but the streaming platform will soon bring back its OG Hunter – this time in live-action form. On Thursday morning (Jul 10), Netflix announced that it will produce a Korean live-action series adaptation of the hit fantasy series Solo Leveling. The lead actor who will be slaying monsters as Sung Jin-woo is none other than Lovely Runner star Byeon Woo-seok.
First conceived as a web novel in 2016, Solo Leveling follows the story of Sung Jin-woo, an E-rank Hunter, the lowest tier of Hunters, who gains extraordinary abilities after a near-death experience. As he levels up, he becomes humanity's hope, fighting monstrous threats emerging from beyond the mysterious Gates.
The series gained a global audience following its webtoon and anime adaptations in 2018 and 2024, respectively.
Solo Leveling has become one of the most popular franchises currently, with its web novel and webtoon garnering a cumulative 14.3 billion views worldwide.
Its anime adaptation was the first Korean animation to score nine major categories at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including Anime Of The Year and Best Character.
In a statement, Netflix said that the upcoming live-action Solo Leveling series will "feature vivid characters, dynamic action sequences, and exhilarating quests, brought to life by a world-class global VFX team".
The series will be directed by Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo, who previously worked together on the award-winning 2014 film My Dictator.
