Copyright Screen Rant
Following the record-breaking success of KPop Demon Hunters, it makes sense that other studios are looking into what similar content they could produce. Amid K-pop's continuously rising global popularity, KPop Demon Hunters stars Arden Cho and May Hong are reuniting for the thriller Perfect Girl, and the under-the-radar studio RedRover is working on a new movie called Rainmakers. The Korea-based production company's upcoming AFM slate also includes The Nut Job 3 and MegaRacer, the latter of which is a sci-fi racing movie that Variety reports to already be in post-production. The former is the threequel to 2014's The Nut Job and 2017's The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature, which have absolutely star-studded casts and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 13% and 15%, respectively. The trade also announced RedRover's Rainmakers, describing it as "the animation studio's first foray into K-pop-driven storytelling," which will be written and directed by Lee Seok-hoon (The Himalayas, The Pirates, Confidential Assignment 2: International). The movie will follow an orphan and a princess who join forces with other outcasts to take down an evil corporation, with K-pop music woven into the story. Lee is one of South Korea's top-earning directors. Additionally, the action-adventure, which will have "K-pop's aesthetic and energy woven throughout the film's narrative and visual design," will also feature original songs from a currently unconfirmed K-pop producer. RedRover strategy executive and producer Amy Shi said in a statement about the upcoming project: As Korean culture, and K-pop in particular, continues to grow and be celebrated globally, we are thrilled to bring a bold, music-driven animated feature to life under the visionary direction of Lee Seok-hoon. With RedRover's deep understanding of global kids and family entertainment, Rainmakers combines the dynamic energy of K-pop with cinematic storytelling to create a vibrant new world we can't wait to share with audiences everywhere. Meanwhile, Sony and Netflix are locked in negotiations for KPop Demon Hunters 2, which, depending on the timing, could be directly competing with Rainmakers. However, it is safe to say that anticipation will be much higher for the continuation of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey's story than for this would-be replacement, whose director may prompt some interest, if not the studio. However, Rainmakers also stands to possibly be a better KPop Demon Hunters replacement than something like Perfect Girl, pitched as a family-oriented animated adventure rather than a live-action thriller slasher. Rainmakers also seems to be planning on touching upon some sophisticated themes through the lens of K-pop, namely the dangers of corporate control.
