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Netflix is producing a live-action series adaptation of “Solo Leveling“, the popular web novel, webtoon and anime franchise that has become a global sensation.

The monster-hunting fantasy-action series will star Byeon Woo-seok as brooding hero Sung Jin-woo, Variety reports today.

The series is set in a world where Gates connect reality to deadly alternate dimensions and follows Sung Jin-woo, “an E-rank Hunter — the lowest classification in a world where supernatural Gates have opened, releasing monstrous threats. After surviving a near-death experience, Jinwoo gains extraordinary leveling abilities, transforming him from the weakest Hunter into humanity’s unexpected champion against escalating dangers.”

“Solo Leveling” will be co-directed by Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo, the filmmaking duo behind Ashfall, Castaway on the Moon, and Like a Virgin.

The series is based on the record-breaking webtoon that has amassed 14.3 billion cumulative views worldwide since its KakaoPage debut in 2016. The recent anime adaptation also made...

Netflix has ordered a Korean live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling, casting Byeon Woo-seok as fledgling hunter Sung Jin-woo and hiring directors Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo to steer the series, which was announced on 9 July and will stream worldwide. The show is being co-produced with Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures, extending the companies’ January development pact into full production.

Chugong’s 2016 web novel has exploded into a global franchise—its webtoon boasts 14.3 billion views and the anime swept nine categories, including Anime of the Year, at the 2025 Crunchyroll Awards. Industry observers say that popularity all but guaranteed a live-action bid after the anime became Crunchyroll’s most-watched series on record.

Plot details match the source: an E-rank adventurer gains a leveling system that lets him surpass humanity’s mightiest fighters as interdimensional “Gates” unleash monsters across the world. Netflix promises “vivid characters [and] dynamic action sequences,” aiming to replicate the successes...

Byeon Woo-Seok stars in the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling on Netflix, which is now in full production.

Byeon Woo-Seok has been confirmed as the lead in Netflix’s eagerly awaited live-action adaptation of ‘Solo Leveling‘. The streaming platform officially announced the production of this Korean series based on the popular manhwa and web novel that has captivated millions of fans around the globe. With over 14.3 billion accumulated views across its original formats, ‘Solo Leveling‘ is one of the most successful and highly anticipated titles to be adapted into a high-quality live-action series.

Fans of the manhwa had long speculated about who would portray the protagonist Sung Jin-woo. While many had bet on Cha Eun-woo, Netflix chose Byeon Woo-Seok to bring this iconic character to life. Byeon Woo-Seok, known for his standout roles in productions such as 20th Century Girl and Lovely Runner, is noted for his unique...

Netflix has officially confirmed that a live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling is in the works, with Byeon Woo-seok, best known for his roles in 20th Century Girl and Lovely Runner, cast in the lead role as Sung Jinwoo.

The series will be helmed by directors Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo and produced by Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures, with a global VFX team on board to bring the story’s elaborate dungeons, characters, dynamic action scenes, and quests to life.

Byeon Woo-seok

Image via Netflix

Kakao Entertainment had previously confirmed on January 21, 2025, that a Solo Leveling live-action adaptation was already in development.

According to the company, the project is part of a broader strategy to expand the Solo Leveling IP across various platforms. “Solo Leveling has solidified its place as a representative IP not just for Kakao Entertainment but for K-content globally. We will continue to invest in the...

Netflix is turning Solo Leveling, one of the most popular webtoons in the world, into a live-action series, and fans are already buzzing. The show will star Byeon Woo-seok, who has been getting a lot of attention for his recent roles. He’s set to play the main character, Sung Jinwoo, a low-ranked hunter who suddenly gains overpowered skills and starts climbing to the top.

This news comes straight from Netflix and Kakao Entertainment, who are working on the show together with Sanai Pictures. It’s a big move, considering just how massive Solo Leveling has become. Since it debuted on KakaoPage back in 2018, the webtoon has collected more than 14.3 billion views around the world. It actually started as a web novel by Chugong in 2016, then turned into a webcomic with writing by h-goon and art by Dubu, the late CEO of Redice Studio.

The story is pretty simple but super addictive.

Netflix is officially bringing the hit webtoon Solo Leveling to life with a live-action adaptation, and it’s already creating a huge buzz. The streaming giant has cast rising South Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok in the lead role of Sung Jinwoo, a weak hunter who suddenly gains powerful abilities and becomes humanity’s last hope.

The series is based on the massively popular webtoon that originally started as a web novel by Chugong in 2016. It later got turned into a webcomic written by h-goon with art by Dubu, and it was published by KakaoPage in 2018. Since then, it’s been a worldwide hit, racking up over 14.3 billion views globally and staying at the top of KakaoPage’s charts for both web novels and webtoons.

The webtoon’s popularity exploded even more recently thanks to its anime adaptation, which took the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards by storm, winning major categories like...

Alright, the phrase ‘live-action anime adaptation’ has trauma attached to it. For every banger, there are a dozen disasters that make us question every life choice we’ve ever made. So when Netflix broke the news that they’re producing a Korean live-action Solo Leveling series, anime Twitter went through all five stages of grief in 30 minutes. But here’s the thing, some of us aren’t freaking out. Some of us are actually kinda excited?

Cause we’ve seen Netflix do something pretty incredible before. I mean, think about The Sandman, that dreamy, weird, poetic, brooding masterpiece that somehow managed to honor its source material and turned it into pure TV gold. And here’s the kicker: Morpheus from The Sandman is basically Sung Jinwoo’s emo older brother. No, seriously, just look at their vibes. If Netflix got Morpheus right, then believe me, they can absolutely slay Solo Leveling.

In an exciting turn of events, Chugong’s Solo Leveling has received a live-action adaptation, which has been announced by Netflix. This live-action project is the biggest announcement that the franchise has made this year, and it is bound to go exceptionally viral because of the fame and recognition that the Solo Leveling name has attained over the years.

However, Solo Leveling’s live-action project wouldn’t have seen its commencement if it weren’t for the One Piece franchise. One Piece was the first story that managed to break the live-action curse, which allowed other popular anime series to move forward with their own interpretation of a live-action production.

Thus, the main question that fans have been wondering about since the Solo Leveling live-action announcement is whether the upcoming project will surpass One Piece or not. This competition between the two anime industry giants has been going on for a long time,...

Arise! Out of all the anime series that have been released in recent years, Chugong’s Solo Leveling has been in a league of its own! The anime has been a global hit, and with 2 seasons and a movie later, Netflix has decided to turn it into a live-action series, finally, and elevate its fame to a whole new level.

First things first, it broke the internet by announcing that Byeon Woo-seok will be joining the cast in the lead role of Sung Jinwoo, the Shadow Monarch. This announcement comes in the wake of how Season 2 has been a huge hit and won Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year award. This makes us believe that just like the anime hit its prime, Netflix would follow in the same footsteps of the source material, capitalizing on the series’ buzz.

Byeon Woo-seok Levels Up Netflix’s Live Adaptation Game With Solo Leveling...

Netflix is leveling up its Korean content slate once again, commissioning a live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling, the wildly popular web novel, webtoon and anime franchise that has become one of Korea’s biggest crossover hits in recent years. The fantasy-action series will star fast-rising actor Byeon Woo-seok (Lovely Runner, 20th Century Girl), with production led by Kakao Entertainment and Sanai Pictures.

Byeon, who has emerged as one of Korea’s most in-demand young stars, has long been fan-cast in the role of Sung Jin-woo, Solo Leveling’s brooding antihero. The actor’s striking visual presence — described by fans as “straight out of a manhwa” (the Korean word for comics) — makes him a natural fit to embody Jin-woo’s transformation from the weakest hunter in the land to humanity’s last hope against supernatural annihilation, Netflix says.

Based on the smash hit web novel published on KakaoPage, Solo Leveling has...

Netflix announced today that actor Byeon Woo-seok is now cast as Sung Jinwoo in the live-action Solo Leveling series. Byeon Woo-seok has previously appeared in other live-action films such as 20th Century Girl (2022) and Lovely Runner (2024). The press release also announced that Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo will co-direct the live-action series, with Kako Entertainment and Sanai Pictures producing. Additional details such as a release date nor other cast were not announced at the time of reporting. The live-action series was first announced in January 2025. Based on the web novel by Chugong, Shunsuke Nakashige directed the Solo Leveling anime adaptation at studio A-1 Pictures, with series composition by Noboru Kimura ( Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture ), character designs by Tomoko Sudo ( Alice in Borderland ) and music by Hiroyuki Sawano ( Attack on Titan ). The first season premiered in January 2024, with the second season airing in January 2025. Crunchyroll currently streams the Solo Leveling...

Out of all the anime that have been released in the last couple of years, the Solo Levelingadaptation is arguably the most popular and beloved. The story of Sung Jin-woo, rising from a novice hunter to one of the world's strongest fighters, has captivated the minds of millions of viewers.

As such, it was only right that this incredible series would become the next to be adapted into a live-action show. Recently, Netflix confirmed that this project has begun production, with none other than the famed actor Byeon Woo-seok as its star.

Solo Leveling’s Live-Action Will Soon Be a Reality Jin-Woo Is Ready To Take Netflix by Storm

On July 8, 2025, Netflix officially announced that the live-action adaptation of the Solo Leveling series had begun production. This series, which follows the journey of novice hunter Sung Jin-woo, has taken the world by storm over the last couple of years.

Lee Byung-hun’s career goes beyond Squid Game and is packed with standout roles across both Hollywood and Korean cinema, making him one of the most versatile actors of his time. His haunting performance as the masked Front Man garnered worldwide attention, particularly with Squid Game season 2's Player 001 twist.

Though Squid Game hid the Front Man’s identity for much of the first season, Lee’s intense presence shone through. For those intrigued by his complex and mysterious character, there are plenty of movies and TV shows to watch to explore the actor's incredible talent. As we wait for Squid Game season 3, Lee's other works offer a deeper look into why he’s a master at bringing unforgettable characters to life.

Ashfall (2019) Directed by Kim Byung-seo & Lee Hae-jun

Ashfall is an action-disaster movie where Lee Byung-hun plays a key role as Lee Joon-Pyeong, a North Korean spy who possesses...