Yeon Sang-ho, Katayama Shinzo, Oguri Shun, and Aoi Yu… just the names are enough to get our hearts racing! A drama created by a powerhouse team of Korean and Japanese creators is officially set for release this July. We are talking about the Netflix series ‘Gas Human’.
Production company Wowpoint announced on the 13th that ‘Gas Human’, with director Yeon Sang-ho serving as executive producer and screenwriter, will be released exclusively worldwide on Netflix on July 2. It is an original reboot series that completely reimagines the 1960 Toho work ‘Gas Human No. 1’ from a modern perspective.
Led by Japanese media giant Toho in planning and production, the series also involves Korean production company Wowpoint and Netflix. Directed by Katayama Shinzo (‘Siblings on the Edge’, ‘Disappearance’), the project became a hot topic from the start with the casting of top Japanese stars Oguri Shun and Aoi Yu.
The series kicks off with an unprecedented murder case where a person’s body suddenly swells and explodes during a live TV broadcast. The culprit is the ‘Gas Human’, who can freely transform their body into gas to pass through any obstacle. The story depicts the process of formless terror slowly consuming society as the killer continues a series of predicted murders, mocking the police’s attempts to surround them.
Rookie UTA has been cast as the ‘Gas Human’, marking their acting debut. Meanwhile, Oguri Shun and Aoi Yu play Detective Okamoto Kenji and reporter Kono Kyoko, respectively. This marks their first time co-starring in a live-action project in 23 years!
Joining the cast are Hirose Suzu and Hayashi Kento as streaming creator siblings, and Takenouchi Yutaka as a CEO of a listed company and former yakuza.
The production team shared their excitement, stating, “The part the crew focused on most was ‘real, not fantasy.’ A new dimension of visual experience that goes far beyond the grammar of existing Japanese dramas will now be revealed to the world.”
Meanwhile, director Yeon Sang-ho is preparing for the release of his new film ‘Colony’ on the 21st. ‘Colony’ is a zombie thriller depicting the struggle of survivors against evolving infected individuals. The film is invited to the ‘Midnight Screening’ section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival and is scheduled for its world premiere in Cannes, France.
