Kakao, Fuji TV to release Japanese version of 'Aquaman' webtoon

The Korean, left, and Japanese cover of Kakao Entertainment's webtoon ″Aquaman″ [KAKAO ENTERTAINMENT / PICCOMA]

Kakao Entertainment and Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV will release a Japanese adaptation of the popular Korean webtoon series "Aquaman" (2016-19), the Kakao subsidiary said Friday.

The two companies signed an agreement at the Fuji Television Global Vision 2023 event in Japan to develop and expand both companies’ intellectual property (IP), according to Kakao's press release.

As part of their partnership, Kakao plans to work together with Fuji TV to create Japanese video content based on its IP. In turn, Kakao Entertainment will also collaborate with Fuji TV to transform the TV network's IP into webtoon content for its platform.

Kakao Entertainment's romance webtoon "Aquaman" will be the first joint project under the business agreement. The Japanese drama based on the webtoon will be planned and developed by Kakao, with production led by Fuji TV.

The drama is scheduled to premiere on Fuji TV and its in-house streaming platform, FOD in 2025. The specific date of the premiere and production staffs have not yet been decided.

“Starting with ‘Aquaman,’ we will continue to produce meaningful joint projects with Fuji TV, thereby further strengthening the company’s global competitiveness,” Hwang Jae-heon, the head of IP business team, said.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]