Painter of the Night may have found the lead actors for its drama adaptation.
As previously reported on Naver, the immensely popular (and spicy) BL manhwa Painter of the Night had inspired a live-action drama adaptation. A short-form drama, Painter of the Night will feature two-minute episodes. Despite the inherent eroticism of the material, the drama is meant to target audiences aged 15 and up and will, as a result, adjust the content and will also have a few episodes that have a more mature rating.
According to a screenshot by X, formerly known as Twitter, user, @/SsSsOoOo_wish, the drama had been submitted for a rating review process and has reportedly casted Kim Kang-jae and Ji Min-seo in the lead roles.
The drama will be produced by Kidari Studio, Lezhin Entertainment, Doodoong, and Mongjakso. Choi Bokyung will serve as the director.
The announcement has been met with skepticism by fans who questioned how a live-action would work considering how explicit the source material is. With how short the run-time each episode is, many were doubtful that the drama would be told in a way that would be faithful to the original story especially since the drama might be heavily censored.
Despite ending in 2023, Painter of the Night remains as one of Lezhin Entertainment’s top BL title. The manhwa launched on the English platform on June 12, 2019 and concluded with 129 episodes on November 10, 2023. Painter of the Night also won “Best Webtoon” at the Chil-Chil BL Awards in 2024 and 2025. Byeonduck, the writer and illustrator, has previously teased that the role reversal AU side stories will release in early 2026.
The story follows a young painter named Baek Na-kyum who has an extraordinary talent for homoerotica painting. His paintings, authored under a pen name, catches the attention of Yoon Seungho, the son of a nobleman who is notorious for engaging in sodomy. Seungho forces Na-kyum to be his private painter to recreate his nightly exploits.
Painter of the Night is available to read on Lezhin. Seven Seas has licensed the print edition.
Source: X, formerly known as Twitter
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