Picture: Netflix
Those thinking that we might be years away from fresh new KPop Demon Hunters will be pleasantly surprised by a new MPA rating bulletin that came in overnight for a new animated short titled Debut: A KPOP Demon Hunters Story. That short is expected to release on Netflix imminently.
A short isn’t too surprising, given that it’s been mentioned as part of expansion plans since the movie’s release. A short was also first mentioned in early 2023, with a Variety report mentioning that alongside a Spider-Verse short and a new mentorship program, Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks would be opening up a new program where new applications would “have the chance to create a short within the world of the upcoming K-Pop: Demon Hunters.”
We’ve found several people attached to the short film who list the program as The Leading and Empowering New Storytellers (LENS) Program and “KPOP Demon Hunters Short Film (2025)” on their profiles. Most of those people have worked on the project between 2023 and 2024.
Given the quick turnaround of the short film, it’s expected that this will be the short mentioned or something that was in production long before the success of the movie, following its June 2025 Netflix and limited theatrical release. It could be a cut song. Given the name of the short, some have already predicted it could be a prequel of some description, such as how they became Huntrix..
The rating, assigned to Sony Pictures Entertainment, is PG for some action/violence and scary images.
Much has been said about the future of KPop Demon Hunters following its historic run on Netflix. A bombshell report from The Wrap essentially said everything was on the table, including mentions of sequels, an animated short, and even a live-action and stage play. While the latter two options were subsequently scrubbed from the story, news has since surfaced that active negotiations are ongoing for those sequels. Throughout August, both The Hollywood Reporter and Puck News reported that negotiations were ongoing.
In a statement to Newsweek, Netflix Films boss Dan Lin stated that Netflix is “excited to explore what could be the next adventure for Huntrix,” adding, “KPDH’s success comes from its original, fresh story so if we do embark on a sequel, we would want to take our time to make sure that any future stories we tell with our favorite demon hunters retains the flair and uniqueness of the first film.”
All of that is in addition to the expansion of the franchise elsewhere including many new partnerships on merchandise (there are 293 products on the Netflix shop alone) and experiences including a rumored Fortnite partnership coming very soon.
Last night, KPop Demon Hunters was announced to have crossed the 300M views mark, several weeks after smashing the record of Netflix’s most-watched movie launch in history, unseating Red Notice, which has held the position for several years. It’s a 91-day window to continue to pick up hours and views for the all-time chart, which concludes on September 19th. As it stands right now, the movie sits at 314.2M views and 523.60M hours watched globally.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
No release date for the short yet. In recent years, Netflix has released animated shorts for both Halloween and Christmas. Last year, for instance, they picked up Sing: Thriller for the holidays from Illumination.
Are you looking forward to a new animated short for KPop Demon Hunters? Let us know in the comments and keep your eyes pinned on What’s on Netflix for the second we get more information.
