This Korean crime action film that got everyone talking in 2023 is getting a spinoff over a year following its release.Deadlinereports that Netflix has announcedMantis, still a working title, as a follow-up to the acclaimedKill Boksoon. The project already has a cast that includesYim Si-wan(Misaeng: Incomplete Life),Park Gyu-young(It’s Okay to Not Be Okay), andJo Woo-jin(Alienoid). While no release date has been set yet forMantis, fans can expect the action film to be similar to the contract killer world ofKill Boksoon, which originally premiered at the Berlinale last year.
Kill Boksoonfocuses on Gil Bok-soon struggling to balance her life as a single mother and assassin, butMantiswill center on other contract killers, namely, Mantis, Jae-yi, and Dok-go. The new movie is written byLee Tae-sungandKill BoksoondirectorByun Sung-hyunand produced by SEE AT Film Co., LTD, the company behindKill Boksoon,Love and Leashes, andKingmaker.Mantiswill be the debut feature of Lee, who was also an assistant director onKill BoksoonandThe King.
Regarding the cast, Yim will star as Han-ul, an ace assassin also known as “Mantis,” working for MK Ent. It’s worth knowing that the character Mantis was mentioned for a moment byKill Boksoon‘s Cha Min-kyu to “have gone on a vacation,” and this spinoff will follow Mantis’ return to the industry, searching for new opportunities. When Mantis returns, he bumps into fellow trainee Jae-yi (portrayed by Park), also Mantis’s old friend, but she harbors complicated feelings for him. Mantis also encounters Dok-go (portrayed by Jo), a veteran killer who is the founding member of MK Ent. but long retired from active duty. Despite retirement, Dok-go takes over as the CEO of MK Ent. after Cha Min-kyu’s death and hopes to bring Mantis back.
Who Starred in ‘Kill Boksoon?’
Directed and written by Byun Sung-hyun,Kill Boksoonpremiered onNetflixon August 21, 2025. It starredJeon Do-yeonas the titular Gil Bok-soon,Sol Kyung-guas Cha Min-kyu,Kim Si-aas Gil Jae-yeong (Boksoon’s daughter),Esomas Cha Min-hee, andKoo Kyo-hwanas Han Hee-seong. Following its release,Kill Boksoongained positive reviews with a 79% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.Collider’s Nischal Niraula also approved it as a must-watchalmost a month after its release, describing the film as “brutally honest about the emotional struggles of motherhood, which is a refreshing take on a genre that often glorifies and romanticizes motherhood.”
Although theKill Boksoonspinoff is still a work in progress, the original movie is available to watch on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more information.
