SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 04: (L-R) Arden Cho, May Hong and Ji-young Yoo, winners of the Best Animated Feature Award for "KPop Demon Hunters", pose in the press room during the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 04, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Getty Images for Critics Choice Association
HYBE, the Seoul-based entertainment company behind BTS, is bringing K-pop to the big screen. At CinemaCon 2026 this week in Las Vegas, Paramount Pictures and HYBE America revealed the official title of their long-in-development K-pop film: K-Pop Superstar: The Movie, starring Yoo Jiyoung from KPop Demon Hunters. KATSEYE, HYBE's own global girl group, will make an appearance in the film.
HYBE America is the U.S. branch of K-pop giant HYBE, which acts as the parent company to several labels housing massive acts including BTS, Seventeen, Le Sserafim, and Enhypen. KATSEYE — the group formed through the 2023 YouTube competition series Dream Academy in partnership with Geffen Records — is also a HYBE America act, making their involvement in the film a natural fit.
The film follows a young Korean-American woman who defies her family's wishes to compete in a televised competition to find the next K-pop girl group. It is expected to be the first major American studio film shot entirely in South Korea.
Director Benson Lee, known for Seoul Searching, previously described the project as "my love letter to K-pop — its energy, passion, magic, and the incredible community behind it."
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Eric Nam performs onstage during the National Museum of Asian Art Centennial Celebration: Headlining Concert on May 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for National Museum of Asian Art)
Getty Images for National Museum of Asian Art
The film has assembled a notable ensemble. Ji-young Yoo, the voice of Zoey and breakout star of KPop Demon Hunters, leads the cast alongside singer-songwriter Eric Nam.
Additional cast members include Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy), Tony Revolori (Spider-Man), Gia Kim (XO, Kitty), Korean stars Sung Jun, Kang Sora, and Hyongchol Lee, as well as singer Ahin Lee, actor and singer Renata Vaca, musician-actor Silia Kapsis, Aliyah Turner (Power Book III: Raising Kanan), Shana Kim, and Jubi Park.
The script's latest draft was written by Eileen Shim. Previous writers on the project include Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians).
The film is produced by James Shin, president of film and television at HYBE America, alongside Arthur Spector and Joshua Davis of Epic Magazine, and Scooter Braun. Shin said in a statement: "This film captures the incredible dedication and artistry that defines K-pop and its insatiable popularity, while showcasing the universal themes of chasing your dreams against all odds."
The movie has been in development since 2020, originally set up at 20th Century Studios before moving to Paramount.
The film is set for a February 12, 2027 theatrical release in North America — the Presidents Day/Valentine's Day weekend.
KATSEYE’s appearance in the film is a cameo, but also potentially a signal of HYBE’s strategy to build its global acts into a cross-platform universe. The group just came off their Coachella 2026 debut on April 10, where they performed on the Sahara stage as five members — without Manon Bannerman, who remains on hiatus — and brought out EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, the voices behind HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters, to perform the Oscar-winning "Golden." The Coachella appearance put them in front of an audience that may not have been tracking their trajectory since Dream Academy in 2023.
ForbesCoachella 2026: Katseye Brings Out ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ But Not ManonPutting KATSEYE in a Paramount theatrical release extends that visibility considerably. K-Pop Superstar: The Movie is clearly designed to function as an entry point for Western audiences into the mechanics of the K-pop industry — the training system, the competition shows, the debut stakes — and having a real, active HYBE girl group appear in that world lends it the kind of authenticity that a purely fictional cast cannot.
ForbesManon Spotted At Coachella After KATSEYE's Debut Performance Without HerBy Hannah AbrahamThe announcement arrives at a moment when K-pop’s presence in mainstream Western entertainment has never been higher. KPop Demon Hunters won both Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 2026 Oscars, and the ARIRANG World Tour currently has BTS playing stadiums across five continents. K-Pop Superstar: The Movie, opening Valentine's Day weekend 2027, is betting that the audience for all of it is ready for a live-action story set inside the industry itself.
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