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Japanese sci-fi classic The Human Vapor — directed by Godzilla creator Ishirō Honda and released in 1960 — is set to receive a contemporary reimagining as a live-action series courtesy of Netflix and Toho Studios. The remake project marks the first time the global streamer and Japanese studio giant are collaborating.
The series is being co-helmed by a Korean-Japanese creative dream team. Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey) is serving as the film’s executive producer and co-scriptwriter, while Japan’s Shinzo Katayama (Missing, Siblings of the Cape, Disney’s Gannibal) will direct. Japanese stars Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Yu Aoi (Wife of a Spy) will co-star in the series.
The third and final film of Toho’s “Transforming Human Series” of cult sci-fi classics from the 1950s and 1960s, The Human Vapor tells the story of a man turned into a gaseous mutant by a radiation experiment gone awry. He then uses his unique powers to rob banks and terrorize society with murderous crimes, while financially supporting a struggling dancer he admires. The film is considered an early masterpiece of the sci-fi thriller genre, renowned for innovative VFX and exploration of power structures and societal oppression.
The new series will transplant the tale to present-day Japan, while leveraging state-of-the-art VFX to revive the story’s iconic kaijin (or humanoid monster).
Yeon says he was approached by Toho to remake a film from the studio’s “Transforming Human Series” and The Human Vapor most grabbed him.
“It is a 1960 film, but its sci-fi expressions are still impressively skillful,” he explains. “I believed that if it were reborn with modern visuals, it would be truly fascinating.”
Toho put Katayama forward as a potential director of the project, and the duo then spent about three years — along with co-writer Ryu Yong-jae — envisioning the update’s story.
Added Katayama: “I knew about The Human Vapor but hadn’t seen it until recently. Watching it, I was intrigued by its blend of human drama and romantic elements, despite featuring an absurd creature like the Human Vapor. I saw the potential to modernize this classic special effects piece with today’s VFX CG and incorporate human drama to make it a very compelling work.”
Yeon and Katayama say fans should expect the series to take at least a year to be ready for release. But they teased that they have “received special permission to shoot in locations [in Japan] where filming is usually not allowed.”
“I believe we will deliver visuals that have never been seen before,” Katayama added.
After staking out a dominant position in the bankable Korean film and TV world, Netflix has spent the past two years attempting to leverage the Japanese industry’s latent live-action entertainment potential. Part of that project has involved bringing the Korean and Japanese creative communities together. Other Korean-Japanese collaborations from the streamer include the upcoming drama Romantic Anonymous (working title) and gay romance Soul Mate.
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