Following the smashing success of KPop Demon Hunters, one of the key creatives from the movie talks about where the story may be headed next. Debuting in June 2025, KPop Demon Hunters has become the most-watched Netflix movie of all time, all while its soundtrack tops music charts, and a brief theatrical release allowed it to gross $19 million.

Following KPpop Demon Hunters’ ending, where Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) make amends and seal the Honmoon, they are presumably back to enjoying their lives as K-pop stars — with maybe a little less demon hunting to do. However, KPop Demon Hunters leaves questions for a sequel to answer, involving Rumi’s demon heritage and the past generation of hunters.

During an interview with ScreenRant, Michael Babcock, the sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer of KPop Demon Hunters, said he doesn’t think they “necessarily need The Empire Strikes Back for KPop 2,“ saying that the next movie might “go warmer” instead of how many movie sequels are much darker than their predecessors.

KPop Demon Hunters co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are expected to return for the follow-up, with Netflix and Sony currently negotiating the terms of this sequel and potentially beyond. Babcock, like everyone else, is “curious to see what they come up with,” but “can say” that they are “not painting by the numbers” following their “unique” first movie.

Check out Babcock’s full comments below:

Michael Babcock: I’m curious to see what they come up with. Maggie and Chris came up with something that really is a unique story and you can go a lot of places with it. I’m not sure we necessarily need The Empire Strikes Back for KPop 2. Like, does it have to get darker?

What was really unique about them as storytellers is that, in a way, it’s so much easier to go darker and colder. It’s more clever when you go warmer. So I wonder if there’s a way of getting more immersed into this world.

Something that seems to really resonate with people besides the music and the harmony and the story is the interaction with fans. I wonder if they can expand their world by making something [where] the fans are either requesting something or… I guess in this one the fans are in jeopardy, but there’s got to be something clever; that’s such a unique angle, and, on paper, it’s amazing that it worked.

But, sonically, anything with crowds and chanting and all that kind of stuff is fun, and it’s also an emotional thing too.

ScreenRant: No, I love that. And it goes to what you said earlier about it being harder to make something cute than scary, which I think, like you’re saying, is kind of the power of this.

Michael Babcock: They have the power to do something unexpected, which is really what this was. And the fact that they’re being rewarded for it, I think — not that they didn’t make this with confidence — gives them confidence to be like, “Hey, this would be really interesting to explore.”

I can say [that] Chris and Maggie in particular [are] not painting by the numbers. They want to be unique.

What Michael Babcock’s Comments Mean For KPop Demon Hunters 2

KPop Demon Hunters 2 could further investigate a storyline involving Huntr/x’s fans, though going too far down this path may disrupt the resonant way the first movie portrays fan culture. On the other hand, a sequel that is “warmer” is ambitious and could be a perfect fit for this franchise.

Sequels naturally get darker because they are challenged to raise the stakes. KPop Demon Hunters already manages to strike a perfect balance between its goofy and lighthearted tone and its very serious themes, so going further in one direction while remaining true to the initial story and having it work would be incredibly impressive.

Babcock’s knowledge of what story ideas the directors have in mind is limited, but with his insider status, he ᴀssures fans that the franchise will continue to be one of a kind. At the very least, Kang and Appelhans are not going to be relying on overdone movie sequel conventions.

Our Take On Sound Designer’s KPop Demon Hunters 2 Comments

Like Babcock, a lot of fans probably have plenty of faith in the creators of KPop Demon Hunters to deliver a sequel just as good as the original. Kang had been working on the idea for years before it was finally greenlit, and it arguably shows in the first movie that she already has broader backstories and world-building in mind that didn’t fit into this installment.

As the first KPop Demon Hunters was so inspired, the second movie should be the same, when the story is primed for an organic continuation. And this key creative’s comments suggest that the crew is also excited to return, bringing their talents back to make this outing another worldwide sensation.