Filming Underway & What We Know So Far

Netflix has another huge live-action adaptation of a beloved webtoon in development, having announced it will adapt the worldwide phenomenon Solo Leveling. Byeon Woo-seok has been confirmed to play the series lead, Sung Jin-woo, and is joined by Han So Hee and Kang You Seok. Filming is currently underway on the adaptation.

Solo Leveling is an upcoming South Korean Netflix Original fantasy-action series and the adaptation of the popular web novel of the same name by author Chugong. The web novel has already been adapted: its webtoon was serialized by KakaoPage in March 2018 and illustrated by Jang Sung-rak. While the webtoon was extremely popular in its own right, the anime adaptation propelled the franchise into the stratosphere.

The influence of the anime adaptation has been so ginormous that the webtoon has since amassed an impressive 14.3 billion cumulative views worldwide. However, what is more remarkable is that Sony recently announced the anime as the “most watched anime in the history of Crunchyroll.” Considering that the likes of One Piece, Naruto, Attack on Titan, and Demon Slayer are all available on Crunchyroll, that is an awe-inspiring feat. It even swept the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, winning nine of the major categories, including Anime of the Year, Best Action, and Best Character.

Photo Credit: Solo Leveling producers Sota Furuhashi (Aniplex), Atsushi Kaneko (A-1 Pictures), and Kanako Takahashi (Crunchyroll), along with English voice cast Aleks Le (voice of Sung Jinwoo) and Michelle Rojas (voice of Cha Hae-in) at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre in North Hollywood – Saint / Crunchyroll

Solo Leveling is beloved, and like every live-action adaptation of a beloved manga, webtoon, or anime, it is often met with scrutiny. To help ease the nerves of fans reading this, Netflix has an excellent track record with its webtoon adaptations. Let’s not forget that Netflix has arguably two of the best live-action adaptations of beloved manga/anime out there, in Alice in Borderland and One Piece.

What is the plot of Solo Leveling?

Decades earlier, strange portals began opening across the world, housing monsters capable of inflicting devastating harm on humanity. The arrival of the portals also saw the awakening of supernatural abilities in humans, granting them great strength and power to protect the rest of society and enabling them to hunt the deadly monsters.

Many years later, Sung Jin-woo, an E-Rank hunter and one of the weakest in Korea, puts his life on the line every time he enters a dungeon, regardless of how weak the monsters inside are. After barely surviving a monstrously powerful double dungeon, Jin-woo is chosen by ‘the System’ and granted a power unique to him, allowing Him to level up his strength and magic by completing quests and battling increasingly dangerous dungeons. 

Picture: Sung Jin-woo from the anime adaptation – A-1 Pictures

Who are the cast members of Solo Leveling?

Byeon Woo Seok, was the first cast member announced and will play the lead role of Sung Jin-woo. The actor has starred in several Netflix projects, including 20th Century Girl, Record of Youth, Lovely Runner, and Strong Girl Namsoon. Outside of Netflix, he has led K-dramas such as Moonshine, Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency, and the film Soulmate.

Picture: Byeon Woo Seok (left) will play the role of Jin-Woo (right)

It was reported by Naver that Han So Hee has joined the cast of Solo Leveling, and will play Chae Hae In, Korea’s only female S-Rank Hunter. Netflix subscribers will be familiar with her work, thanks to her starring roles in fantastic projects such as My Name and Gyeongseong Creature.

Picture: Han So Hee (left) and Chae Hae In from Solo Leveling (right)

It has been recently reported that Kang You Seok has been offered the role of Yoo Jin Ho, a D-Rank Hunter, who befriends Jin-Woo. Kang You Seok has starred in Netflix projects such as Resident Playbook, When Life Gives You Tangerines, Start Up, and Mystic Pop-Up Bar.

Picture: Kang You Seok (left) and Yoo Jin Ho from Solo Leveling

Choi Myung Bin will play Sung Jin Ah, Sung Jin-woo’s younger sister. The actress previously starred in Netflix’s Our Sticky Love and is known for her roles in dramas such as Young Lady and Gentleman and The King’s Affection.

Also reported to be cast in Solo Leveling is Cha Woo Min, who will reportedly play Baruka, the leader of the Ice elves. The actor also starred in Love Untangled and will play a supporting role in Netflix’s upcoming K-drama Take Charge of My Heart.

Picture: Cha Woo Min will play Baruka in Solo Leveling

Lee Sung Min will play Ko Gun Hee, an S-rank hunter and President of the Hunter Association. The actor recently starred in Netflix’s Teach You a Lesson and is well known for starring in K-dramas such as Reborn Rich, Juvenile Justice, A Bloody Lucky Day, and Shadow Detective.

Picture: Lee Sung Min (left) will play Ko Gun Hee (right)

Jung Ji Hoon, aka Rain, is confirmed to be playing Baek Yoon Ho, the guild master of the White Tiger Guild and an S-rank hunter. Rain will be most familiar to Netflix subscribers as Im Baek Jong in Bloodhounds. He has also held lead roles in Red Swan, Ghost Doctor, and Welcome 2 Life.

Picture: Rain (left) will play Baek Yoon Ho (right) in Solo Leveling

It was recently reported that Ha Jung Woo will appear in the series as the antagonist Hwang Dong Soo, an S-Rank Hunter. The actor previously starred in Netflix’s crime-thriller Narco-Saints and will also star in the upcoming film The Generals.

Picture: Ha Jung Woo (left) will play Hwang Dong Soo (right)

Kim Si Ah will play Han Song Yi, an E-Rank Hunter and Sung Jin Ah’s best friend. The actress recently starred in Netflix’s If Wishes Could Kill, and previously in Sweet Home, See You in My 19th Life, and The Silent Sea.

Picture: Kim Si Ah (left) will play Han Song Yi (right)

Sung Jun will play Woo Jin Cheol, an A-Rank Hunter, the Chief Inspector of the Hunters Association’s Surveillance Team, who is also a friend and ally of Sung Jin-woo. The actor has played lead roles in dramas such as The Fiery Priest S2, Call It Love, and Casting a Spell on You.

Picture: Sung Jun (left) will play Woo Jin Cheol (right)

Kang Mi Na was among the earliest cast members announced, but her role has yet to be disclosed. Initially, it was thought that she would play Sung Jin Ah, but with Choi Myung Bin cast in that role, she could instead play Lee Bora, Han Semi, or Gina. For now, we await further info on her role.

Bae Sung-Woo was also confirmed to have joined the cast in August 2026. His role has yet to be revealed. The actor previously starred in Netflix’s The 8 Show and Live.

There are several key characters that fans will look forward to seeing cast, such as:

• Yoo Jin-ho – D-Rank Hunter who befriends Jin-Woo.
• Choi Jong-in – S-Rank Hunter and Guild Master of the Hunters Guild.
• Woo Jin-chul – A-Rank Hunter and Chief Inspector of the Korean Hunters’ Association’s Surveillance Team.

What is the production status of Solo Leveling?

X user @ggonigone has been an incredibly reliable source of information regarding the various K-dramas that have come to Netflix over the past several years, and previously reported that filming for Solo Leveling began in Early May 2026.

넷플릭스 오리지널 시리즈 <나 혼자만 레벨업>

2026년 5월 초 촬영 시작 (3~4개월 예정) pic.twitter.com/dmCYGmzmSo

— ‎ً (@ggonigone) March 30, 2026

What is the episode count?

The first season will have a reported seven episodes. However, this has yet to be confirmed officially.

When is the Solo Leveling Netflix release date?

With filming scheduled to begin in April 2026, we would expect a lengthy production schedule for the series. Not to mention an equally lengthy post-production is expected, given the number of visual and special effects we’re likely to see in the series. 

At this point, the earliest we could see the series on Netflix is late 2027 or early 2028.

We await further updates from Netflix.

Are you looking forward to watching the Solo Leveling adaptation on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!