Solo Leveling live-action drama casts Byeon Woo Seok as Sung Jin Woo – can we NOT slam it before it releases, eh?
Steven Reynolds 
Now, I am not one of those who is thrilled the web novel Solo Leveling (written by Chu Gong), and the anime series based on it, is now being made into a live action K-drama.
Let’s face it, the plot is nothing particularly different, the protagonist Sung Jin Woo (aka Seong Jin U) is one of the most bland ‘heroes’ ever created, and the anime was one I dropped mid-way through its first season.
I ditched the novel’s manhwa spin-off during its first few chapters as well.
That being said, I am interested to see if a Solo Leveling live-action drama can make the IP more appealing, and if just-announced lead Byeon Woo Seok (Lovely Runner) is able to create a Sung Jin Woo more interesting than he’s been in anything before.
The 33-year old Korean actor is quite talented, after all.
Solo Leveling live-action drama is Byeon Woo Seok’s first Netflix property
The just-announced Solo Leveling live-action drama, by the way, is a Netflix original drama.
This from the streaming platform that shoves hundreds of millions of dollars into original dramas, yet rarely creates anything interesting.
Maybe this time, though, they have seen something that makes a Solo Leveling live-action drama sound like a potential hit, eh?
It will also be the first original Netflix drama Byeon Woo Seok has ever appeared in, and that does bode well for his future career as the streaming platform has proven before that, if an actor does well in one of their properties, they are happy to hire him again.
The Solo Leveling live-action drama is being directed by Lee Hae Joon and Kim Byung Seo, directors of the 2019 disaster movie Ashfall. (Which, interestingly, Byeon Woo Seok appeared in in a bit part as a guard).
Now that film, although not an Oscar-quality movie in script at least (the cinematography is superb), is beautifully filmed, acted and directed, and was a whole boatload of fun to watch, so there is that in their favor when it comes to directing Solo Leveling.
The upcoming K-drama’s plot, for those who haven’t watched the anime, goes like this:
In a world where hunters — human warriors who possess supernatural abilities — must battle deadly monsters to protect mankind from certain annihilation, a notoriously weak hunter named Sung Jin Woo finds himself in a seemingly endless struggle for survival.
One day, after narrowly surviving an overwhelmingly powerful double dungeon that nearly wipes out his entire party, a mysterious program called the System chooses him as its sole player and in turn, gives him the unique ability to level up in strength.
This is something no other hunter is able to do, as a hunter’s abilities are set once they awaken.
Jin Woo then sets out on a journey as he fights against all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of the dungeons and the true source of his powers.
As exciting as that sounds, its anime adaptation was rarely able to create that excitement, at least in my opinion, so let’s see then if its live-action edition can do any better.
Netflix will obviously be throwing a huge amount of money at the Solo Leveling drama, which means we can probably expect it to be a gorgeously filmed production if nothing else.
In other words, after saying all this, while I am not a fan of the Solo Leveling novels, manhwa or anime, I am also not one of those who is going to jump in and say “boring” or “why bother” before its live-action adaptation has even begun filming, let alone is released.
Byeon Woo Seok is a solid actor, the directors have proven they are capable of handling a big Hollywood-esque action adventure, and, depending on who is writing the scripts, and its yet-to-be-announced supporting cast, it could turn out to be one of those high-quality productions everyone loves.
Instead of slamming the project and Byeon Woo Seok all over kingdom come then, can we all just agree to let it be released before rushing to final judgement?
After all, that would be the adult thing to do.
Meanwhile, if you want more of an idea of the plot, the Solo Leveling anime (Seasons 1 and 2) is streaming via Crunchyroll — where it is rated high because, yep, fan boys.
About the Author
Michelle Topham 
