Nearly 10 years after Goblin became one of tvN’s defining K-dramas, the story of an immortal goblin, his destined bride and a mysterious Grim Reaper is about to leave television behind and enter an entirely new world.
The beloved 2016 fantasy romance is being developed as a large-scale musical, with the project already positioned as an international production. The timing makes the announcement even more notable, arriving during the drama’s 10th-anniversary year and shortly after its original cast reunited for a special anniversary program.
Goblin is officially heading to the musical stage
The first major step toward bringing Goblin to the theater has now been confirmed.
On September 23, Library Company announced that it had signed a musical rights agreement for Goblin with writer Kim Eun Sook and Studio Dragon, the company behind the original drama.
The agreement covers the rights to stage the musical both in South Korea and internationally. Library Company will take responsibility for the project’s planning and development, as well as its global production.
That international scope is important because the company is not approaching the adaptation as a small theatrical reinterpretation. Instead, Goblin is being developed as a large-scale theater musical, with the global market considered from the planning stage.
For fans of the original drama, that means the adaptation is being built around more than simply transferring familiar characters and scenes from television to a stage. Library Company plans to preserve the Korean folklore and emotional identity that helped define Goblin, while translating its central themes into a theatrical format.
The musical is expected to place particular emphasis on life and death, love and destiny, using music and stage aesthetics to create the scale of a major theater production.
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What is confirmed about the Goblin musical?
| Official Detail | Confirmed Information |
| Musical rights | Secured by Library Company |
| Rights holders | Writer Kim Eun Sook and Studio Dragon |
| Announcement date | September 23, 2026 |
| Production scope | South Korea and international markets |
| Planned format | Large-scale theater musical |
| Core elements | Korean folklore and emotional identity |
| Major themes | Life, death, love and destiny |
| Stage plans | Large-scale musical numbers and stage design |
| Cast | Not yet announced |
| Performance schedule | Not yet announced |
| Premiere date | Not yet announced |
The original Goblin drama remains at the heart of the adaptation
Before it becomes a musical, Goblin already has an enormous television legacy to build from.
Officially titled Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, the drama premiered on tvN in 2016 as a special project celebrating the network’s 10th anniversary.
Written by Kim Eun Sook and directed by Lee Eung Bok, the series starred Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun and Lee Dong Wook in its leading roles.
Gong Yoo portrayed Kim Shin, an immortal goblin who has lived for centuries and longs to end his life. His fate becomes connected to Ji Eun Tak, played by Kim Go Eun, a young woman destined to become the goblin’s bride and the person capable of ending his immortality.
Lee Dong Wook played the Grim Reaper, whose life becomes unexpectedly intertwined with Kim Shin after the two end up sharing a home.
Their unusual relationship sits at the centre of a story that blends Korean folklore, fantasy, romance and comedy, with Kim Shin, Ji Eun Tak and the Grim Reaper forming the emotional core of the series.
The drama was also a major ratings success. According to Nielsen Korea, its 16th and final episode reached a peak nationwide rating of 20.5% among paid-platform households.
That combination of fantasy, romance, humour and Korean folklore is now being prepared for a completely different medium.
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Library Company is building Goblin for audiences beyond Korea
The planned musical is being positioned as a global project from the very beginning.
Library Company says it wants to maintain the Korean folklore and sentiment that shaped the original series while bringing the universal themes of the story into sharper focus.
Those themes — particularly life and death, love and destiny — are expected to become central elements of the theatrical adaptation.
The company also plans to use large-scale musical numbers and stage design to create an experience capable of reaching audiences outside Korea.
Library Company CEO Kim Myeong Eun described the project as an opportunity to preserve what audiences already love about the drama while using the stage to deliver something new.
“‘Goblin’ is an IP (intellectual property) already loved by audiences worldwide, we will focus on preserving the original’s sentiment while adding the emotion that only the stage can deliver,”
Kim Myeong Eun also explained the company’s wider ambition for its intellectual-property strategy.
“Based on the experience we have accumulated in domestic and global markets, we will grow into a global IP studio that best realizes a global super IP as live content.”
The comments underline how Library Company is approaching Goblin as part of a broader effort to establish a large-theater musical lineup based on established intellectual properties.
The company is also developing ** Hyunhok **, a musical based on a Naver Webtoon. That project was selected for the Arts Council Korea’s large-scale musical reading performance support program and is scheduled to be unveiled later this year.
Goblin’s 10th anniversary has already brought the original cast back together
The musical announcement comes during a particularly significant period for the franchise.
In 2026, tvN marked the drama’s 10th anniversary with Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip, bringing the original cast together once again.
Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na reunited for the special and traveled to Gangneung, revisiting memories from the original series.
The program aired in July as part of tvN’s 20th-anniversary programming. TVING’s official listing confirms Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go Eun and Yoo In Na as the central participants in the special.
The reunion offered another opportunity for the cast to reflect on the drama’s continuing connection with viewers.
During the final episode, Kim Go Eun suggested Quebec as a possible destination for another trip, while Gong Yoo said he hoped they would remain in contact and potentially travel together again.
That anniversary reunion now sits alongside another major development for the franchise. Just months after the original cast returned for the special, Library Company has confirmed plans to take the world of Goblin onto the musical stage.
Will Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun or Lee Dong Wook return?
That remains one of the biggest unanswered questions surrounding the adaptation.
Despite the musical rights agreement being officially announced, no cast has been revealed for the stage production.
There is therefore no confirmation that Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun or Lee Dong Wook will reprise their television roles in the musical.
The same applies to the rest of the production timeline. A performance schedule and premiere date have not been announced.
At this stage, Library Company’s announcement is focused on securing the rights and establishing the direction of the project as a large-scale production designed for both Korean and international audiences.
Further details are expected to be revealed as development continues.
That leaves the eventual casting, stage interpretation and release schedule open for future announcements, while the central creative direction is already clear: the musical will take the world established by Goblin and translate its Korean folklore and emotional themes into live theater.
Goblin is entering a new chapter without leaving its roots behind
The journey from television drama to large-scale musical gives Goblin another major milestone as it approaches a decade since its 2016 debut.
The original series combined Korean folklore, fantasy, romance and comedy around Kim Shin, Ji Eun Tak and the Grim Reaper, while its 20.5% peak nationwide rating among paid-platform households demonstrated the scale of its television success.
Now, Library Company has secured the domestic and international musical rights from Kim Eun Sook and Studio Dragon and is preparing a global stage production designed around the story’s themes of life, death, love and destiny.
The announcement also follows the 10th-anniversary reunion of Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na in Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip, giving the franchise another major moment in 2026.
For now, the stage cast, premiere date and performance schedule remain unannounced. What is confirmed is that Goblin is moving beyond television, with Library Company developing a large-scale musical that aims to preserve the Korean folklore and emotional identity of the original while delivering the story through music, theatrical design and live performance for audiences in Korea and around the world.
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Conclusion
Nearly 10 years after Goblin first arrived on tvN, the franchise is preparing for a major transformation. Library Company has secured the musical rights from Kim Eun Sook and Studio Dragon and plans to develop a large-scale theater production for both South Korean and international audiences.
The musical will retain the original’s Korean folklore and emotional qualities while focusing on life, death, love and destiny through music and stage aesthetics. With the original cast already reunited during the drama’s 10th-anniversary year, Goblin now has another milestone ahead — this time under the lights of the theater.
Source Disclaimer: This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided with the original verified material, including the Library Company announcement as reported by StarNews, Sports Kyunghyang, E-Daily and TVING’s official listing for Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip. The article reflects information available from those sources as of September 23, 2026. Casting, production details, performance schedules and the premiere date may be announced or changed as development of the musical continues.
Sources
- Library Company announcement as reported by StarNews: Confirmation of the musical rights agreement with Kim Eun Sook and Studio Dragon, global production plans and Kim Myeong Eun’s statements.
StarNews report - Sports Kyunghyang: Details on the large-scale theater direction, global strategy, 20.5% peak rating and Library Company CEO Kim Myeong Eun’s full statements.
Sports Kyunghyang report - E-Daily: Additional reporting on the rights agreement, Library Company’s international theater experience and its plans for Goblin.
E-Daily report - TVING: Official listing for Goblin 10th Anniversary Trip, confirming Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go Eun and Yoo In Na as the central cast.
TVING official listing
Featured Image Credit: tvN / Studio Dragon
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