SM Sets Sights on the Next 'KPop Demon Hunters' With New K-Pop Animation

SM Entertainment is moving deeper into animation, this time with a K-pop superhero project aimed at the global streaming market. The label announced on July 27 that it has signed a co-production deal with the global IP content company SAMG Entertainment for a new animated series with the working title "Superhero Idol Project."

The show blends K-pop world-building with a superhero storyline. It is planned as 13 episodes of about 20 minutes each, with a target release on a global OTT platform in 2028.

The series is aimed at viewers from their teens through their 20s and early 30s. By combining K-pop artist IP with a superhero setting, the two companies want to reach K-pop fans and general animation viewers at the same time.

SM Entertainment will plan and produce the main music used in the series, and will also take part in the vocal and performance work. The company said it will bring its music production experience and performance know-how into the animation to strengthen the finished product.

The two companies plan to use the project as a starting point for a wider integrated IP business, expanding into areas such as music, concerts, artist management, and video licensing.

SM Entertainment is one of the leading K-pop agencies. Starting with H.O.T., the company has built artist IP and world-building across acts including TVXQ, Girls' Generation, EXO, NCT, aespa, and Hearts2Hearts. How the label folds that long-running IP experience into an animated format will be one of the project's key questions.

Global interest in K-pop-themed animation has grown sharply in the past year. The project arrives as the industry watches whether a new title can follow the breakout success of "KPop Demon Hunters."