When Netflix said they were making a live-action Solo Leveling, the internet basically held its breath — and now that Byeon Woo-seok has officially been tapped to play Sung Jin-woo, that collective gasp? Yeah, it just turned into a full-blown scream.

Let’s break it down: Solo Leveling isn’t just another manhwa-turned-series. It’s the manhwa. With over 14.3 billion views across the novel and webtoon (yes, billion), it’s a global juggernaut. The story follows a “world’s weakest hunter” type who turns into a dimension-slicing powerhouse — and fans have not been chill about casting rumors.

For a while, stans had their fantasy league set on Cha Eun-woo (because of course they did), but Netflix zagged with a choice that actually makes a lot of sense: Byeon Woo-seok, the tall, brooding heartthrob from Lovely Runner and 20th Century Girl. He’s got the intensity, the acting chops, and yes — the bone structure — to pull off Jin-Woo’s evolution from “please don’t die” to “everyone else is disposable.”

This isn’t Woo-seok’s first time carrying a fandom on his back, but stepping into the shoes of Solo Leveling’s main character? That’s Olympic-level pressure. Fortunately, he’s not going at it alone — the series is co-directed by Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo (aka the minds behind Ashfall and Castaway on the Moon), and production is in the hands of Kakao Entertainment and SANAI Pictures. So yes, expect blockbuster-level visuals and fight scenes that slap.

We still don’t have a release date (cue collective eye twitch), but Netflix swears production is in full swing — and if they’re smart, they know this series is carrying the weight of every webtoon adaptation gone wrong on its shoulders.

And for anyone worried they’ll tone it down or mess it up: the word on the street is that they’re keeping the dark fantasy energy, the hyper-leveling mechanics, and the dead-eyed, overpowered protagonist energy that made Solo Leveling a smash hit in the first place.

Moral of the story? Whether you’re a die-hard manhwa reader, a fantasy fan with main character syndrome, or just here for Woo-Seok’s jawline, this is one to keep on your radar. The dungeons are opening — and Netflix might just get this one right.