July 31 Is a Huge Day for Manhwa Fans With an HBO Max Subscription

Manhwa fans have a great reason to be excited this month. One of the most popular webtoons ever made, Itaewon Class, is returning in a brand-new live-action form. This time, the beloved story is getting a Taiwanese adaptation called Fired Up!, and it will officially premiere on HBO Max on July 31 (via the HBO Max Facebook Page).

The new series is part of HBO Max‘s lineup of Asian Originals for the summer. While it tells the same inspiring story that made the original manhwa a global hit, it also gives fans a fresh experience by moving the story to Taiwan and introducing a new cast and setting.

HBO Max Brings the Taiwanese Itaewon Class Adaptation on July 31

HBO Max has confirmed that Fired Up!, the Taiwanese live-action adaptation of Itaewon Class, will debut on July 31, 2026. The 12-episode series is an HBO Original directed by Kao Pin-chuan, with Tseng Ying-ting serving as co-director.

It is produced by DaMou Entertainment as part of HBO Max’s summer collection of Asian Originals. The series stars Mandopop singer Eric Chou as Luyong Zhou, the Taiwanese version of Park Sae-ro-yi.

Chou also performs the show’s original soundtrack. The cast also includes Angela Yuen, Shao Yu-wei, Ben Wu, and Sean Lin, who plays the character based on Jang Geun-won. Instead of copying the Korean drama scene by scene, Fired Up! retells the story in a Taiwanese setting while keeping the heart of the original manhwa.

What Is HBO Max’s New Manhwa Adaptation “Fired Up!” About?

Park Seo-joon from the Korean adaptation of Itaewon Class. | Credit: Showbox, Zium Content, and JTBC Studios

Fired Up! follows Luyong Zhou, a young man who is determined to find out the truth behind his father’s death while trying to save his family’s restaurant. As he faces powerful enemies and difficult challenges, he refuses to give up on his dream. Like the original story, the series focuses on hard work, family, justice, and never backing down when life gets tough.

The story is based on GwangJin’s Itaewon Class, which was serialized on Kakao Webtoon from 2016 to 2020. As of July 10, the manhwa has reached more than 70.9 million cumulative views on Kakao Page, the manhwa reading platform, making it one of Kakao’s biggest hits. The webtoon first inspired the hugely successful 2020 Korean drama starring Park Seo-joon, followed by the Japanese adaptation Roppongi Class in 2022. Fired Up! now becomes the latest live-action version of the beloved story and the first one produced as an HBO Original.

To watch Fired Up!, viewers will need an active HBO Max subscription. The 12-episode series premieres exclusively on the streaming platform on July 31 and will not be available on other services at launch. Fans who want to revisit the original story can also read the Itaewon Class webtoon in English on Tapas, while the hit 2020 Korean live-action adaptation is currently available to stream on Netflix.

With another live-action adaptation arriving this month, Itaewon Class continues to show why it is one of the world’s most loved manhwa. Whether you have followed the story since the original webtoon or discovered it through the Korean drama, Fired Up! offers a fresh new way to experience this inspiring journey.

Now the big question: Will you be watching Fired Up! on HBO Max, or is the Korean adaptation still your favorite version of Itaewon Class? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.