Webtoon Entertainment, the U.S. headquarters of Naver Webtoon, said on the 13th local time that it plans to jointly develop animated series based on webtoons with Warner Bros. Animation.
The two companies are set to sign a deal to co-produce animated series based on 10 original Korean- and English-language webtoons and aim for global distribution. Warner Bros. Animation is the studio within the Warner Bros. Discovery group that produces and distributes animation. Through this collaboration, Webtoon Entertainment's animation pipeline will further expand.
The projects will be selected from webtoons serialized on Naver Webtoon's Korean and English platforms, and WEBTOON Productions, which handles Webtoon Entertainment's global IP business, along with the Japan IP business team, will support the projects.
The titles unveiled this time are ▲ "Star-Embracing Swordmaster" (written by Hong Daeui, illustrated by Juno, original by Q10) ▲ "The Advanced Player" (written and illustrated by Kim Sehun) ▲ "Down to Earth" (written and illustrated by Pookie Senpai) ▲ "Elf & Warrior" (written by AC Stuart, illustrated by Victor Rosas II), consisting of two Korean original webtoons and two English original webtoons, with additional titles to be announced later.
Kim Yong-su, chief strategy officer of Naver Webtoon, said, "Webtoons have become one of the most exciting sources of original storytelling in the entertainment industry, and creators are constantly producing stories beloved by Gen Z," and added, "We are excited to partner with Warner Bros. Animation on webtoon-based projects."
Kim Shin-bae, chief growth officer of Line Digital Frontier, said, "It is meaningful that, in addition to the animation production pipeline underway in Japan, projects targeting the global market are being added," and noted, "In Japan, we will actively support the discovery of IPs more suited to the global market and the production process."
Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation, said, "We expect that combining the artistry of Warner Bros. Animation with Webtoon's dynamic storytelling will create something special, and we want to start the project as soon as possible."