
Back to All News
From Hellbound' to New Zombie Thriller All of Us Are Dead' - How Visionary Creators Turn Cult Webtoons into Hit Shows
Entertainment
09 January 2022
GlobalSouth Korea (Republic of Korea)
Be it supernatural thriller Hellbound or military drama D.P., the K-drama you're watching and loving may very well have started off as a web-based comic.
Wildly popular in South Korea, these mobile-friendly webtoons are presented in a vertical, continuous strip and can span genres from romance to horror. Some boast cult followings and have been turned into hugely popular films, games and TV dramas.
Hellbound, now one of the most-watched shows on Netflix, is unlike other K-drama adaptations because the webtoon and the TV series share the same creator. When celebrated director and screenwriter Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) was working on the Hellbound webtoon, he already had visions of the live-action version in his head. Little wonder that the webtoon reads like a storyboard version of what plays out on screen.
The webtoon itself was rewarding work, but the prospect of making it into a live-action series was exciting, says Yeon. We tried our best to maintain the understated tones of an illustrated work and, to that end, we focused a lot on the otherworldly visuals. But ultimately, Hellbound is a story about people, and the actors managed to bring dimension and depth to the characters.
Often it is the actor's ability to breathe life into a 2D character that fuels the success of an adaptation. Starring Jung Hae-in and Koo Kyo-hwan, D.P. (short for Deserter Pursuit) was recently renewed for a second season. Kim Bo-tong, the webtoon artist behind D.P. Dog's Day and who co-writes on both seasons, says, The cast members fit the webtoon characters perfectly, as if they were born to play their roles.
Coming back for a second season, D.P. is based on the popular webtoon D.P. Dogs Day.
Same zombies, new twistsWith live-action renditions of webtoons trending at the moment, all eyes are on All of Us Are Dead, which is about a bunch of students trapped in school during a zombie apocalypse, based on the popular Naver webtoon of the same name by webtoon creator Joo Dong-geun.
Director Lee JQ was drawn to helm this adaptation because of the setting. There are a lot of zombie series, but what caught my attention about this was that everything happens in a closed space, a school, with young and immature students, he says.
While the webtoon, published between 2009 and 2011, is deemed legendary by fans, Lee is not strictly sticking to the script, hinting that the characters are still based on the webtoon but their characteristics have slightly changed.
He adds, Different relationships are formed when these diverse characters come together and interact with one another. The origin of the virus, the characters, how these children escape the zombie situation, and what decisions the government makes - these are the elements that differ between the original webtoon and the series.
Perhaps the allure of making a webtoon-to-series adaptation, besides the fact that it comes with a fan base that's already invested, is in all the fantastical possibilities. Brutal otherworldly Goliaths who turn up to burn condemned folks to a crisp right in the middle of the streets of Seoul? Straight from the webtoon comic squares of Hellbound to terrify you on your TV screen. Zombie students hungry for flesh tearing up the school halls? Coming at you in All of Us Are Dead on January 28.
More from Netflix
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix ISP Speed Index for June 2025
Product
14 July 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboard
One percent of Internet Service Providers (ISP...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Begins Filming The Map of Longing With Al cia Falc , P...
13/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Expands B&B Universe' with Yu Jae Seok's B&B ...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Bringing Culture Into Focus on My Brilliant Career': Firs...
09/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Has Released the Trailer for Letters From the Past, Sp...
09/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Filming for Aquel, the New Seri...
09/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Set to Adapt Solo Leveling' Into Korean Live-Acti...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
Lust. Betrayal. Obsession. Fatal Seduction Returns with a Smou...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
The Monster of Florence: The Four-Episode TV Series Directed b...
08/07/2025
Back to All News
Shooting of 53 Sundays, Cesc Gays New Project, Is Finished
Entertainment
08 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the f...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
Murder Mindfully - Second Season In Production
Entertainment
07 July 2025
GlobalGermany
Link copied to clipboard
Murder Mindfully Season ...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
Vir Das Finds His Voice Again in Netflix's Fool Volume, Pr...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
The Long-Awaited Trailer is Here: Alice in Borderland' Se...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
Anime for Every Fan: Fueling a New Era of Global Storytelling
Entertainment
07 July 2025
GlobalUnited StatesJapan
Link copied to clipboard...
07/07/2025
Back to All News
She Walks in Darkness, Agust n D az Yanes New Film, Premieres ...
05/07/2025
Back to All News
Superestar, the Story of a Star Who Never Changed. Premiering July 18
Entertainment
05 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Premiere of Im Still a Superestar, a Doc...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get Ready for Even More Action! Netflix Has Confirmed the Thir...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get ready for even more action! Netflix has confirmed the thir...
01/07/2025
Back to All News
A Line Crossed: Netflix Drops Explosive Trailer for New Series, MarkedPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
01 July 2025
GlobalSouth Africa
...
01/07/2025
Back to All News
Neil Patrick Harris to Host What's In The Box - A Bold New...
01/07/2025
Back to All News
Feel the Beat: Glass Heart' Main Trailer and Title Song RevealedPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
01 July 2025
GlobalJapan
Link co...
01/07/2025
Back to All News
Watch: A Line Crossed: Netflix Drops Explosive Trailer for New...
30/06/2025
Back to All News
NASA Is Coming to Netflix This Summer
Entertainment
30 June 2025
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to clipboard
NASA and Netflix are teami...
30/06/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Releases Trailer for Petra Costas New Documentary Apoc...
30/06/2025
Back to All News
Netflix releases trailer for Petra Costas new documentary Apoc...
30/06/2025
Back to All News
Bel n Cuesta and Karra Elejalde Star in El ni o, the New Film ...
30/06/2025
Back to All News
A New Dangerous Troll Awakens: Netflix Unleashes Teaser for Troll 2Play Video
Play Video
Entertainment
30 June 2025
GlobalNorwayDenmarkSwe...
29/06/2025
Back to All News
A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curs...
27/06/2025
Back to All News
Let the Final Games Begin With Squid Game' Season 3 Complete Coverage Guide
Entertainment
27 June 2025
Global
Link copied to clipboar...
27/06/2025
Back to All News
Squid Game: Unleashed: Celebrate the Epic Series Finale With N...
25/06/2025
Back to All News
Its Worth It by Dani Rovira Arrives at Netflix on July 11thPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
25 June 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to cl...
25/06/2025
Back to All News
Step Into the Game IRL With Squid Game Season 3-Inspired Produ...
25/06/2025
Back to All News
Teaser for Action Thriller Series Trigger' Unleashes Tens...
25/06/2025
Back to All News
Love, Conflict and Family Drama: Netflix Drops The Trailer For...
25/06/2025
Back to All News
The Ripple Effect of K-Content: How Netflix Viewers Are Embracing Korean Culture
A giant Young-hee presides over the Red Light, Green Light g...
23/06/2025
Back to All News
Squid Game By the Numbers: How Player 456 Took Over the World
From left to right: Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Lee Jung-jae, Hwang Dong-hyuk...
22/06/2025
Back to All News
Fall For Me - Erotic Summer Drama by Sherry Hormann Starts August 21
Netflix / Julia Terjung
Entertainment
22 June 2025
GlobalGermany
L...
22/06/2025
Back to All News
Wall to Wall': Gripping Thriller Set in an Apartment Comp...
20/06/2025
Back to All News
Turn Your Netflix to "Fool" Volume: Vir Das Drops a New Special on July 18!
Entertainment
20 June 2025
GlobalIndia
Link copied to clipboar...
19/06/2025
Back to All News
A Father. Two Kids. And the Videos She Left Behind. Catalog to...
18/06/2025
Back to All News
F ria, the New Netflix Series Starring Vinicius Neri, Fabio La...
18/06/2025
Back to All News
One Man Against All Odds: Ziam' Trailer Teases Thrilling ...
17/06/2025
Back to All News
WIF Welcomes 2025 Fellowship Class
WIF 2025 Fellows Class Photo
Social Impact
17 June 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
Today,...
17/06/2025
Back to All News
My Brilliant Career Series Adaptation Now in Production in Sou...
17/06/2025
Back to All News
Netflix and TF1 Group Join Forces to Bring TF1 to Netflix Members in France
Entertainment
17 June 2025
GlobalFrance
Link copied to clipbo...
17/06/2025
Back to All News
Two Graves Arrives on Netflix on August 29
Entertainment
17 June 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the first images
Net...