Korean webtoon companies are expanding their presence in the global content market, as entertainment studios increasingly seek proven intellectual property (IP) with established fan bases for film and streaming adaptations, according to industry officials, Thursday. “Global studios are showing strong interest in webtoon IP because the stories already come with well-developed narratives and proven popularity,” an official from the local webtoon industry said. The trend is reflected in a growing number of overseas adaptation projects involving webtoon and web novel IP. Webtoon Entertainment, the parent company of Naver Webtoon, recently confirmed that its English-language original webtoon “ShootAround” will be adapted into a live-action film in the United States. The zombie horror-comedy series has accumulated around 28 million views globally. The screenplay will be written by Ayanna K. White, who previously participated in Apple TV+’s “Severance” and Netflix’s “The Night Agent.” The project will be developed by its in-house studio, Webtoon Productions, together with U.S.-based Lio
