Netflix has green-lit a live-action adaptation of the Korean fantasy franchise “Solo Leveling,” casting rising actor Byeon Woo-seok in the lead role of Sung Jin-woo, the underdog hunter who gains the power to “level up” after a near-fatal dungeon raid. The series is being co-directed by filmmakers Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo and produced in partnership with Kakao Entertainment and SANAI Pictures. “Solo Leveling” began as a 2016 web novel before evolving into a webtoon that has logged an estimated 14.3 billion views worldwide and, more recently, an anime that swept nine categories at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, including Anime of the Year. The project extends Netflix’s investment in high-end Korean genre content following the global success of titles such as “Squid Game.” Production is already under way, with the streaming platform promising large-scale visual effects to recreate the story’s portal-riddled world and monster battles for an international audience.