Latest news with #ArdenCho
News18
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
K-Pop Meets Monsters In Netflix's New Animated Film, What You Need To Know
Last Updated: If you're planning to watch KPop Demon Hunters, don't worry, we have all the details for you, including the release date, cast, where you can watch it and the story. It might sound surprising to hear K-pop and demons in one sentence, but Netflix's new animated movie KPop Demon Hunters has combined them in an exciting way. The animated feature has music, action, comedy and even some thrilling moments to keep viewers hooked. If you're wondering what the story is about or what to expect, don't worry, we have all the details for you. From the release date and cast to where you can watch it and the story, this will help you understand everything about this unique new movie. Date After creating a buzz with its fun and action-packed trailer, KPop Demon Hunters, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, is now available to stream on Netflix. Cast The voice cast of KPop Demon Hunters is packed with talented actors. Arden Cho voices Rumi, the confident and charming leader of the K-pop group HUNTR/X. May Hong plays Mira, the bold and rebellious member, while Ji-young Yoo gives voice to Zoey, the group's rapper. Ahn Hyo-seop voices Jinu, a member of The Saja Boys, who are a big rival to HUNTR/X. Byung Hun Lee steps into the shoes of Gwi-Ma, the main villain. Yunjin Kim voices Celine, a former K-pop star who is now a demon hunter. Ken Jeong plays Bobby and Daniel Dae Kim voices Healer. Liza Koshy lends her voice as the Host, while Joel Kim Booster voices several fun characters like Variety Show Host 2, Idol Host and Romance Saja. What to Expect As per Tudum, 'When K-pop superstars Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret identities as demon hunters to protect their fans from ever-present supernatural danger. Together, they must face their biggest threat — an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise." KPop Demon Hunters, currently streaming on Netflix, includes songs written by a talented team of music creators, including Danny Chung, IDO, Vince, KUSH, EJAE, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick and Daniel Rojas. One of the big highlights of the soundtrack is a special original song performed by Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung from the popular K-pop group TWICE. First Published: June 20, 2025, 18:16 IST
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Stars of ‘KPop Demon Hunters' on Spotlighting Korean Representation in Animation
Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo star as the girl group Huntrix in Sony Pictures Animation's new feature, coming to Netflix June 20. After the massive box-office triumph of the Spider-Verse films, Sony Pictures Animation is back with a brand-new hero team-up animated adventure called KPop Demon Hunters. The feature film, which drops on Netflix June 20, follows a girl group named Huntrix who must balance their skyrocketing superstardom with moonlighting as demon hunters, saving the world using the power of music and magical girl action to protect their fans from an impending demonic invasion. Ahead of its streaming release, io9 spoke to Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji-young Yoo—the voices behind the Huntrix's trio Rumi, Mira, and Zoey—to reflect on the thrill of staring in the film, the importance of meaningful Asian representation in animation, and the unique challenge of bringing its titular down-to-earth, demon-hunting pop stars to life. Isaiah Colbert, io9: What drew you to starring in KPop Demon Hunters? Were there any elements about the movie's story or characters that immediately gripped you as actors? Arden Cho: Initially, I just loved the idea. I love K-pop and I'm all about three cool, awesome, badass leads who are Asian American—Korean American to be specific. I loved the story and I was so excited just to be a part of it. May Hong: I like how tough Mira is, but how vulnerable she actually really is. How sensitive she is. How loyal she is, and I very much relate to that. That really drew me in. Ji-young Yoo: I'm a big fan of K-pop, and I love doing voice over work so this was the best of both worlds. The more I found out about it, the more I thought it would be so much fun. I mean, from the title alone, anytime I tell my friends the name of the movie, they always start smiling, and I think that's indicative of how fun the film is. io9: As advertised on the tin. Yoo: Yes! io9: Did you draw inspiration from different K-Pop groups or supernatural shows while preparing for your roles in KPop Demon Hunters? Were there any specific performances or series that helped you bring your characters to life? Cho: For Rumi, I was focusing more on just her experience. She just goes through so much through the movie. She's going through a lot of things. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's a big journey for her. I was focusing a lot on who she was not only as a friend, a sister to the girls, but a leader, and also a slayer. I grew up loving so many shows that are sort of in that world of strong females—Buffy the Vampire Slayer was literally my favorite, always—and so I feel in a sense [that] I wanted Rumi to be very strong and grounded. But also sweet and cute. We can't take credit for the music stuff because we're not in that part of the girls, but I definitely wanted her to be as cool as Blackpink, Aespa, Le Sserafim, and everybody. It exceeded my expectations. But I feel like I didn't do much for that. I can't really take credit for that. I feel like that was the world that was created for us. Hong: I thought a lot about Sailor Moon. I grew up watching it and I was so excited to see it and doing the comps of who everyone is, too. Whenever we would play Sailor Moon, I always wanted to be Sailor Jupiter. Cho: Wait, that's so fitting. Hong: I know, and I feel like Mira is a different version of Sailor Jupiter. I think the inspiration—they're hidden identities—I think it's funny that they transform and they look exactly the same but just [have] different outfits. I feel like Cowboy Bebop was a huge inspiration for me. I think about it a lot, and how much that music is so fully integrated into the story, and how crucial it is to sound and look like that. It feels like a perfect merger of those two things. Yoo: I don't know if I had specific things that I did research into because I think this is such an original tone. You didn't really need to pull references. But as I began to talk about it with my friends more, I realized that there were things in the back of my head that were floating around and definitely influencing it. I grew up on Totally Spies and Kim Possible. I would say that Zoey has got a little bit of Starfire from Teen Titans—the original show, not Teen Titans Go. I'm a big fan of BTS, so that's always in the back of my head. Actually, I had a really funny conversation with a friend where he asked me if [KPop Demon Hunters] was anything like Jujutsu Kaisen. Which it kind of is. We're exorcising demons, but tonally not nearly as dark. I'm such a fan of the show that I wondered if it affected my performance at all. I don't think I'll ever know consciously. Maybe people can watch the movie and let me know. io9: KPop Demon Hunters brilliantly captures both the stunning beauty of the idol scene and the gremlin nature of the three girls, where they get chibi and very animated at each other. Was this distinct animation style where you had to do the voiceover afterwards, or did you do the voiceover and Sony Pictures animated their expressions to match yours during production? Cho: I remember my first few sessions, we just did the voice, and they'd film us. So I did feel a little shy. Hong: (Laughs)The internal video, like, where is that? Cho: (Laughs) Yeah, I'm like showing up to work in my pajamas, no makeup on. All these cameras are set up and I'm like, 'Oh no, wait what's happening!' They're like, 'Oh no no, it's just for art!' and I'm like, 'Yes… art.' Yoo: (Laughs) I'm guessing that the chibi style was always a part of the plan, but there were definitely moments where I'd finish a line reading and they'd be like, 'We should note that take. Whatever face she was doing was perfect' and I was like 'I don't know if I like that.' Cho: I feel like the animation, the weirder, the uglier, it was so perfect. That's what makes it fun. We don't have to feel shy about it even though I felt shy in the beginning and then I got used to it. Yoo: I guess the answer is we don't know. Probably. Kind of. Maybe. Yes? Hong: (Laughs) We didn't see anything. We just scream, and they would take videos that were used. Cho: We don't know. We just show up and they make it awesome. I know the eating stuff I'd always feel so silly too. The funny eating noises I'd struggle with those. Some of those are hard. I ate a lot and they wanted more funnier (mouth noises), but when you're actually eating, you don't make those sounds to make it more fun. Hong: (Laughs) Speak for yourself. Yoo: (Laughs) Yeah, I was gonna say that sounds exactly like how I eat. io9: Were there any funny, memorable bloopers that happened during your recording sessions? Yoo: Too many to count, man. Hong: A lot of running to be out of breath. I think I felt the most goofy probably doing laps or I'd need to genuinely do three more laps to sound out of breath. But then everyone is watching me run in circles for a while. Cho: All the action stuff was pretty silly and fun. Rumi has some romantic things that are cute. In the voiceover world, you're doing it all alone, so you feel super awkward. But it's awesome and it comes together so beautifully. Hong: Oh, also the bar. There's a little guardrail that's in front of the mic. I'd hold it and run in place. It's almost like an exercise. Cho: Oh yeah. I was jumping on that and holding on for dear life the whole time. Yoo: It almost looks like a mini ballet bar and they'd put it in front of the mic and you can use it to lean on. I climbed on top of it. Hong: Who would have thought of that. Genius. Yoo: Voiceover is kind of one big blooper. Cho: It really is. The days where you're eating a ton and doing all the fun sounds and then after you're doing a lot of jumping around action and you're like, 'Oh no, that was too soon. That's why they say don't go swimming right after eating.' It was all fun. io9: How meaningful is it for you to be part of a Sony Pictures Animated film that aimed to go beyond the surface-level appeal of K-pop and action to authentically highlight Korean roots in its storytelling? Cho: It's so special that they are so respectful to the Korean culture in the food, the city, and the world. It's so magical to see how big and beautiful it's been created in the world of KPop Demon Hunters. It's also really cool to see these young women who, yes, they're Korean, but they're also just girls struggling with things that are very, well, normal, but not normal. Normal if demons were—well maybe they are here? Hong: (Laughs) Are they in the room with us? Cho: (Laughs) You know how people have their demons? The metaphor. Hong: (Laughs) Yes. I love the universal pain and suffering of it all. At first I was, 'Is this Korean?' It felt like it hit some chords for me, but then it was 'This is just everyone.' Cho: It definitely hit those identity battles and the whole, 'Who am I really? Am I hiding something?' The struggles that Rumi goes through, in an odd way, I related to so much being Korean American. I feel like that in itself is so relatable, but also so special because it's something that involves so much of our culture, history, story, and where we come from. Hong: And it also makes Seoul look so glorious, and it is glorious. Though fictionalized, hopefully, it makes people more interested in actually going. io9: If KPop Demon Hunters were to receive a sequel, what would you love to explore about your characters in the future? Yoo: When the movie comes out, I do actually have a very specific pitch that I've already told [directors] Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans about. For Zoey, some of the stuff she's going through being the only Asian American in the group [where] she feels out of place some of the time, which I think is very resonate with anyone. I would love to see her find a place where she doesn't feel like she needs to please as much. She spends a lot of her energy trying to make sure everyone else is okay, and I want Zoey to check in on whether Zoey is okay. Maybe that's the sequel. KPop Demon Hunters premieres on Netflix June 20.
UPI
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: 'KPop Demon Hunters' trailer: music and monsters collide
1 of 5 | Arden Cho stars in animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," which debuts June 20 on Netflix. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo May 22 (UPI) -- Netflix released a trailer for KPop Demon Hunters, an animated film about a girl group whose members moonlight as demon hunters. The trailer, released Thursday, shows pop stars Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (voiced by May Hong) and Zoey (voiced by Ji-young Yoo) gearing up for battle against soul-stealing demons. "When they aren't selling out stadiums, K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet -- an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise," the film's official synopsis reads. The cast also includes Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Joel Kim Booster, Liza Koshy, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong and Byung Hun Lee. KPop Demon Hunters is directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans from a script by Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Kang and Appelhans. The film releases June 20 on Netflix.
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Netflix's ‘KPop Demon Hunters' Releases Their Trailer And Poster
KPOP Demon Hunters Netflix Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters have released their trailer, and it's safe to say, it's poppin'! Imagine if your favorite K-pop stars moonlit as demon hunters. While they're killing it on the stage, they're actually killing demons between comebacks and touring. The three idols – Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) – from the group, Huntrix, use their secret identities as idols to protect their fans and the world from supernatural threats. The demons seem to have their own plans by utilizing that K-pop power and creating their demonic boy band, The Saja Boys– stealing hearts and souls. The musical animated film, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, sets the scene in Seoul, with Korean people at the center. In the trailer, several Korean ajummas (elderly ladies), fan girls and boys are seen in the crowd. Kang told EW, 'It was really my desire to see Korean people on film in animation. So it actually started off as just a demon hunter project where I wanted to showcase Korean demons. Because demon hunting is usually a side job that's done in secret, it was like, what is their day job?' K-Pop Demon Hunters Official Poster Netflix Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the same people who brought the Spider-verse films, the animations shown throughout the trailer are wild. From the graphic fight scenes to the goofy faces to the hilarious reactions to a sexy boyband, KPop Demon Hunters may be exactly what K-pop fans and animation fans are looking for. Not to mention, TWICE's Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung are part of the film's soundtrack, with their version of 'Takedown.' The trio told EW described the song as 'a high-energy track with a powerful beat,' that's 'filled with fierce determination and the will to tear down anything fake.' How much more K-pop can this movie get? Oh, but there's more! Teddy Park – the brains behind BLACKPINK's music – helped develop the music for the film. He worked with 24, Danny Chung, IDO, Vince, KUSH, and DOMINSUK. K-pop songwriters and producers were also involved in the process, including EJAE, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Lindgren, Mark Sonnenblick, Daniel Rojas, and Ian Eisendrath If you're looking for some drama, Korean actors Ahn Hyo-seop and Byung Hun Lee are also part of the film! KPop Demon Hunters will premiere on Netflix on June 20. Check out the trailer below.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Arden Cho & Margaret Cho To Star In Rom-Com ‘Cheap AF'
EXCLUSIVE: Arden Cho (Partner Track) and Margaret Cho (Dying for Sex) have signed on to star in Cheap AF, a romantic comedy from first-time feature director Roy Hsu, who also penned the script. Cheap AF tells the story of a money-saving influencer (Arden Cho) seeking her big break, who risks losing her wedding and relationships when she goes all out to win Wedding Magazine's 'Best Wedding on a Budget' social media competition. More from Deadline Scarlett Johansson And Miles Teller To Star Opposite Adam Driver In James Gray's Next Film 'Paper Tiger'; Filming To Begin Next Month & Sales To Continue At Cannes Market Demi Moore & Colman Domingo Board Roger Ross Williams' 'Strange Arrivals' For See-Saw Films Adeline Rudolph & Arden Cho To Topline K-Pop Thriller 'Perfect Girl' From Hong Won-Ki & Badlands; Upgrade & CAA Media Finance Taking To EFM In a statement to Deadline, Hsu observed that 'America is a melting pot, and many immigrants share common experiences regardless of race—parents chasing better futures, valuing education, and, yes, saving every penny.' His hope with the film has been 'to tell a comedic bridezilla story about two women competing for the cheapest wedding, though at its core, the film is about letting go of the past and discovering what truly matters—all through an Asian-American lens with themes that are universally relatable.' Producers on Cheap AF include David Hopwood (Power, Den of Thieves), Corey Moosa (Margin Call, All Is Lost), Michael K. Dwyer (Water Wars, Hanky Panky) of A Group of Ferrets, and Grayson Hay (Hanky Panky, Tender). Hsu is executive producing alongside Sean Akers (Margin Call, All Is Lost). Byron Beane (The Gordita Chronicles, Perdíta) oversaw casting, with local Seattle casting by Heidi Walker (Twin Peaks, 10 Things I Hate About You). Production kicks off in Seattle, WA in September. Best known for her roles as Kira Yukimura in Teen Wolf and Ingrid Yun in Netflix's Partner Track, Arden recently starred as June in Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender and lends her voice to Netflix's upcoming KPop Demon Hunters. She is repped by Innovative Artists. An award-winning comedian and actress, Margaret's recent credits include Hulu's Fire Island, guest starring roles on Doctor Odyssey (ABC), Dying for Sex (Hulu), The Flight Attendant (Max) and Hacks (Max), as well as two Netflix Is a Joke comedy specials. Her latest film, All That We Love, premiered at Tribeca, and her other upcoming projects include Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 and Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex. She is repped by WME and manager Sarah Martin. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More Men of Steel: Every Actor Who Has Played Superman - Photo Gallery 'Michael' Cast: Who's Who In The Michael Jackson Biopic
