Maggie Kang first pitched KPop Demon Hunters in 2018.
Kang presented the idea to film producer Aron Warner while he was working on Wish Dragon for Sony Pictures Animation. The early pitch eventually developed into a feature about a Korean girl group whose members use singing and combat skills to defend humanity from demons.
The project was not immediately released. Sony announced it as being in development in March 2021, under the working title K-Pop: Demon Hunters. Kang and Chris Appelhans later directed the completed film, which began streaming on Netflix in 2025.
The long development period reflects how the concept grew beyond a simple genre mash-up. Kang wanted to explore Korean culture, mythology, demonology, and the historical use of music and dance in Korean shamanic rituals.