Netflix is leveling up big time with this one. The streaming giant confirmed that Byeon Woo-seok will headline the forthcoming live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling. The Korean heartthrob, fresh off his swoon-worthy stint in Lovely Runner, is trading in romance for ruthless battles and mysterious dungeons.
With the unique web novel already a beast within the digital fiction world, and the anime adaptation breaking records in 2025, this latest chapter is gearing as much as slice straight into global screens.
Netflix Casts Byeon Woo-seok in Solo Leveling Adaptation
You possibly can’t discuss global webtoon takeovers without mentioning Solo Leveling. What began as a humble Korean web novel by Chugong quickly snowballed right into a digital behemoth, because of its pulse-racing plot and the hauntingly good artwork by the late Jang Sung-rak, aka Dubu. Published on KakaoPage and Tapas, the story racked up over 14.3 billion views and established itself as probably the most consumed web IPs on the planet.
SOLO LEVELING Manhwa
Total Views: 14.3 Billion Worldwide
Japan’s Piccoma Service: 650M Views#俺レべ #SoloLeveling pic.twitter.com/BtUPVwOIGD— AniXpert (@AniXpert) December 11, 2024
Now, Netflix is able to reimagine this universe in live-action form, with Byeon Woo-seok wielding the lead role of Sung Jin-woo. For the uninitiated, Jin-woo isn’t your classic fantasy hero. He starts off as a bottom-tier, E-rank Hunter, widely dismissed because the weakest link in a society where dungeon raids are a 9-to-5. But after barely surviving a brutal double dungeon, he gets granted access to a mysterious System that enables him to “level up” endlessly.
As Jin-woo grows stronger, his battles stretch beyond basic monsters. Woo-seok’s manhwa-worthy visuals and dramatic chops (see: twentieth Century Girl and Lovely Runner) make him the right candidate for a personality this complex.
wooseok selecting Solo Leveling as his next project is such a daring and difficult move. it’s an adaptation, which implies the burden of expectations, the pressure, the comparisons, the worldwide eyes are all there. but he confidently said “challenge accepted!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KrcqJwWTKP
— mel 🍂 (@byeonwoonist) July 10, 2025
Co-directors Lee Hae-jun with Kim Byung-seo are helming the project. Credits like Ashfall, Castaway on the Moon, and Cold Eyes prove they know how one can mix visual tension with emotional depth. Production is backed by SANAI PICTURES and Kakao Entertainment, with help from a worldwide VFX team to make sure that those dungeon sequences don’t seem like a nasty video game cutscene.
And for those who’re wondering why Netflix is betting so hard on this title, the numbers speak volumes. The anime version, which dropped in early 2024, went on to brush nine major trophies on the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including Best Motion and Anime of the 12 months.
The Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025 had 51 Million total votes with #SoloLeveling Season 1 winning Anime of the 12 months 🔥pic.twitter.com/y5kInLFVnO
— Solo Leveling (@SoloLevelingTV) May 26, 2025
Not bad for a story that started off as an internet novel sitting on a digital bookshelf. There’s no confirmed drop date yet, but the thrill already feels seismic. With Netflix’s recent hits like The Glory and Sweet Home proving there’s serious international demand for Korean genre storytelling, Solo Leveling might be the subsequent title to dominate global timelines, and Woo-seok might just be the guy to shadow-step it into popular culture history.
For more of the most recent Korean updates, stay tuned to Koimoi!
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