"Train to Busan" Director Yeon Sang Ho Joins Hands with Japanese Talents for a Netflix Sci-Fi Drama

Netflix has confirmed the production of the live-action series Gas Human (literal title), an adaptation of Toho's The Human Vapor. Train to Busan's director, Yeon Sang Ho, will be the executive producer and screenwriter, with Katayama Shinzo directing. The casting of Oguri Shun and Aoi Yu has further heightened anticipation. 

The Human Vapor, brought by director Honda Ishiro, who also helmed Godzilla, which marked the beginning of monster creature films, was produced by Toho, a major Japanese film company, and released in 1960. It is considered a classic even today, over half a century later, for its blend of thrilling sci-fi elements with a commentary on societal issues. 

The Netflix series Gas Human will be a reboot project utilizing cutting-edge VFX (visual special effects) techniques, with the story set in modern Japan. This new adaptation involves creators from both Japan and Korea. Notably, the global content production company Wowpoint, known for its recent Netflix series Parasyte: The Grey, is co-planning and producing the series. Yeon Sang Ho, director of hits like Train to Busan and Netflix series Hellbound and Parasyte: The Grey, will handle overall production and screenplay, with co-writing by Ryu Yong Jae, who worked with Yeon in Parasyte: The Grey.  

Yeon Sang Ho and Katayama Shinzo's discussion at Toho's Studio 9, a historic site with a 70-year legacy of tokusatsu (a Japanese term for live-action productions that extensively utilize practical special effects) films, conveys their thoughts and sentiments about the series, which has been in planning for six years, with three years dedicated to screenplay development.

Yeon Sang Ho expressed, "I've always been interested in Toho's tokusatsu films. The Human Vapor is a 1960s film, but it remains a superbly crafted sci-fi work even today. I believe it will be an exciting piece when remade in a modern context. After seeing director Katayama Shinzo's works, even before he accepted the offer to direct, I was so curious about him that I sent him a DM on social media. I am currently writing the script, but I'm eagerly anticipating the work that will come from his hands." 

Director Katayama Shinzo remarked, "The original film The Human Vapor featured the bizarre creature The Vapor Man but also included human drama and melodrama. I thought that if we could combine tokusatsu with modern VFX and add the element of human drama, it would make for a great piece of work. I genuinely wanted to propose appearing in it to director Yeon Sang Ho, who not only wrote the script with writer Ryu Yong Jae but also because of his flavorful acting in scene meetings." 

Actor Oguri Shun commented, "I thought this was an incredible project. The plot that makes you curious about what happens next, the human drama that the title does not reveal — I was instinctively drawn. I'm thrilled to be part of this collaboration of exceptional talents from Japan and Korea."

Aoi Yu added, "It's a story that feels like an unknown world, so I'm looking forward to what kind of experience it will bring. It feels like setting sail into the open sea, and I won't forget the sense of adventure that is possible with this team."

Gas Human is set to begin filming in August and is scheduled to premiere exclusively on Netflix in 2025. 

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