Here’s Your First Look at SEVENTEEN’s Vernon in Anderson .Paak’s ‘K-Pops’ Movie

Following K-Pops making its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival last weekend (Sept. 7), fans across movies and music were buzzing about the all-star cameos joining stars like Anderson .Paak, actor-rapper Jonnie “Dumbfoundead” Park, former U-KISS member Kevin Woo, Community star Yvette Nicole Brown, and .Paak’s son Soul Rasheed.

With rumors about an upcoming acting opportunity for Vernon of SEVENTEEN since the singer-rapper was spotted filming in Seoul in May, Billboard can confirm the 26-year-old’s participation in K-Pops and share a first look.

Described by Anderson .Paak as “a fun, lighthearted film born from my love for music and inspired by my family while we were quarantined during the pandemic,” K-Pops is the comedy-musical telling the story of struggling musician BJ (.Paak), who attempts to revive his career by joining the house band of a K-pop competition program in South Korea, only to discovers that his long-lost son Tae Young (Rasheed) is a contestant vying for global superstardom. The nearly two-hour flick marks .Paak’s directorial debut for a tale of uniting people and cultures through entertainment while enlisting several major collaborators.

“Vernon brings an undeniable energy and talent to anything he does so I was thrilled to have him join our cast,” Anderson.Paak shares exclusively with Billboard. “He’s got a unique vibe that brings so much value to the dynamic world of K-pop that we explored in the film. On set, he was a natural. His ability to adapt and take direction while bringing his creativity and dedication really elevated the project. One of his jokes got a huge laugh from the audience during our world premiere, demonstrating just how effortless his talent is.”

The SEVENTEEN star isn’t the only big K-pop name joining the project. In his director’s statement shared with press at TIFF 2024, Anderson.Paak explains how he infused his style with several top artists representing the South Korean music industry.

“I also had the opportunity to work with iconic K-pop artists that I’ve been looking to collaborate with for years like … Vernon from SEVENTEEN, Crush, The Rose, Jessi and G-Dragon,” he shared. “The fact that I get to do these collaborations in my directorial debut and bring these idols and artists into the world of K-Pops just brings a whole new level of excitement to the project.”

Billboard Hot 100 hit producer DemJointz also collaborated with .Paak to create original music for the film. The Silk Sonic star explained how the California beatmaker brought his experiences working with artists like Rihanna and Kanye West as well as K-pop chart-toppers like BTS and IVE — and even recently bringing both worlds together like on the “Dirty Dancing (Dem Jointz Remix)” where New Kids on the Block is joined by SEVENTEEN — as a perfect partner.

“I worked alongside the incredible DemJointz to create some original music based around the fictional competition show you see in the film,” .Paak added. “He was vital to the creation of these songs because he works heavily in the K-pop world and has churned out a lot of hits in that genre — he’s brilliant. We had a great time digging into my archive of music and building off of original ideas to utilize for the soundtrack.”

K-Pops is being sold by WME Independent, with Stampede Ventures, Live Nation Productions, Apeshit Films, EST Studios, and Big Dummie all working as production company partners. Get your first official look at Vernon in the film below: