Netflix has greenlit a live-action Solo Leveling series, which has already cast an actor to play the protagonist, Sung Jin-woo. The project was originally announced by Kakao Entertainment back in January 2025. It will be an adaptation of the namesake South Korean fantasy web novel by Chugong. It began publishing as a serialized work in 2016 and was later turned into a webtoon with illustrations from Jang Sung-rak (Dubu) of Redice Studio.
Solo Leveling live-action series goes into production at Netflix with Byeon Woo-seok
A live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling has entered production at Netflix. The project has cast Byeon Woo-seok as Sung Jin-woo. Byeon Woo-seok began his career as a model before entering the entertainment industry as an actor.
He has played Poong Woon-ho in the 2022 Netflix feature 20th Century Girl and Ham Jin-woo in the 2023 romantic drama film Soulmate. He has also appeared in K-dramas such as Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, Record of Youth, Moonshine, and Strong Girl Nam-soon.
Netflix will jointly produce the series with Kakao Entertainment and SANAI PICTURES. Kakao Entertainment originally announced the show in January 2025. The company noted in a PR release at the time that the project was in the planning and development phase and that the script was being developed at its media division.
Much about the Solo Leveling live-action series remains under wraps. However, that makes sense given the franchise’s immense popularity as an IP. Since the debut of the web novel, the franchise has expanded into webtoon, anime, music, and games.
It has received an impressive 14.3 billion cumulative views worldwide. The anime adaptation from A-1 Pictures debuted in Japan on January 7, 2024. Later, it was renewed for Season 2, which premiered on January 5, 2025. The anime received nine accolades at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including Anime of the Year, Best Action, and Best Character, among many more (via Netflix).
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.
