LEGO KPop Demon Hunters has received a dose of good news before it even starts, but it might be best to opt for a hiatus at some point.
Off the back of the film's major success, a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters has been officially announced. The sequel is being directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, much like the first film, and no further details have been shared at this time.
“I feel immense pride as a Korean filmmaker that the audience wants more from this Korean story and our Korean characters,” said Kang. “There’s so much more to this world we have built, and I’m excited to show you. This is only the beginning.”
Appelhans adds, “These characters are like family to us; their world has become our second home. We’re excited to write their next chapter, challenge them, and watch them evolve – and continue pushing the boundaries of how music, animation, and story can come together.”
Variety reported last year that a sequel was on the way and was aiming for a 2029 release date. The LEGO Group's theme based on the franchise is rumoured to start later this year, but with sets confirmed for 2027. While word of a sequel is sure to be welcome news for the LEGO Group, it's still quite far away after the LEGO theme is scheduled to start, and that's assuming there won't be any delays.
Ambitious animated movies can be subject to delays. One example is the third Spider-Verse film, which has been pushed back multiple times, now totalling three years since its original March 2024 release date. Note that the original plans for that movie had it coming out just one year after the second, which was likely too ambitious for an animated movie of that scope.
By comparison, the KPop Demon Hunters sequel's reported release window of 2029 is more attainable. A slight delay to 2030 wouldn't be surprising, given the high expectations after the major success of the first film. That's only speculation for now, and we'd note that the sequel doesn't have an official launch window at the time of writing.
It seems likely that the theme will be around long enough to cover both the first film and the upcoming sequel, and that the LEGO Group would like to do so as part of the partnership. Assuming that the 2029 date is accurate, that would leave the LEGO Group with all of 2027 and 2028 to release sets based on just the first film.
It's not an impossible task, but recent themes such as LEGO Wicked have only needed to last one year before the sequel arrived. Designing double the number of sets based on a single film may lead to some inevitable repetition between waves. There's another tactic the LEGO Group might want to consider to avoid any repetition in the KPop Demon Hunters sets, though.
A hiatus for the theme at some point before the sequel would be appropriate, allowing the LEGO designers adequate time to get content ready for the second film, while giving older sets longer in the spotlight.
Doing so would also avoid a situation similar to the Minions: The Rise of Gru models, some of which were retired before the film was released. While the pandemic was mostly to blame in that situation, it goes to show just how impactful movie delays and long waits between films can be for the LEGO Group.
While the future of KPop Demon Hunters and the upcoming LEGO theme looks bright, we can only hope that the inevitable wait and likelihood of delays for the sequel are considered when planning the new range.
For everything we know about LEGO KPop Demon Hunters so far, check out our original report. The theme is officially due to start later this year, but properly in 2027.
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