The cover page of webtoon “ShootAround,” serviced by Webtoon Entertainment / Captured from Webtoon Entertainment website
Korean webtoon companies are expanding their presence in the global content market, as entertainment studios increasingly seek proven intellectual property (IP) with established fan bases for film and streaming adaptations, according to industry officials, Thursday.
“Global studios are showing strong interest in webtoon IP because the stories already come with well-developed narratives and proven popularity,” an official from the local webtoon industry said.
The trend is reflected in a growing number of overseas adaptation projects involving webtoon and web novel IP.
Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon, recently confirmed that its English-language original webtoon "ShootAround" will be adapted into a live-action film in the United States.
The zombie horror-comedy series has accumulated around 28 million views globally. The screenplay will be written by Ayanna K. White, who previously participated in Apple TV+’s "Severance" and Netflix’s "The Night Agent." The project will be developed by its in-house studio, Webtoon Productions, together with U.S.-based Lion Forge Entertainment.
The move comes as Webtoon Entertainment expands partnerships with major global players including Disney, Prime Video and Warner Bros. Animation, to expand its role beyond an online comics platform into film, series and animation production.
Among its upcoming projects is the animated "Lore Olympus," an adaptation of the English-language original webtoon of the same name. The series, which won multiple major U.S. comic awards, is being co-produced with the Jim Henson Company and will be released through Prime Video.
The company is also involved in projects based on Wattpad IP. "Chasing Red," one of the platform’s most-viewed titles with over 261 million reads, recently secured distribution deals across major global markets. Another adaptation, "Love Me, Love Me," debuted on Prime Video in February and quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot globally, leading to a sequel announcement within weeks of its release.
Industry observers say the timing is critical. Following the pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood strikes, global studios have reduced overall production volumes while increasingly shifting investment toward commercially validated IP.
Source: Korea Times News
