Yeon Sang-ho's Korea-Japan Co-Production Series 'Gas Man' to Debut July 2

Netflix will release 〈Gas Man〉, a Korea-Japan co-production series executive-produced and co-written by Yeon Sang-ho, worldwide on July 2.

On June 9, Netflix unveiled the main trailer and key art for 〈Gas Man〉. The Japanese original series reboots the legendary 1960 tokusatsu film 〈Gas Man No. 1〉 as an eight-episode drama.

Yeon Sang-ho — whose credits include 〈Colony〉, 〈Train to Busan〉, 〈Hellbound〉 and 〈Parasyte: The Grey〉 — serves as executive producer and co-writer alongside Ryu Yong-jae. The series is directed by Katayama Shinzo, known for exploring the darkness of the human psyche in 〈Gannibal〉 and 〈Missing〉, and represents a Korea-Japan creative collaboration.

The story follows a mysterious entity calling itself 'Gas Man,' which declares itself a serial killer and plunges Japanese society into fear and confusion. It centers on detective Okamoto Kenji (Oguri Shun)and reporter Kono Kyoko (Aoi Yuu), who pursue the truth amid a vast conspiracy involving police, the media, streamers and criminal organizations. The streaming-creator siblings are played by Hirose Suzu and Hayashi Kento; the role of a former yakuza-turned-businessman is played by Takenouchi Yutaka; and the Gas Man character is portrayed by UTA.

The series was shot on a massive scale. Filming took about eight months across roughly 120 locations. In particular, an action sequence in which the Gas Man attacks a vehicle from beneath a manhole was inspired by a scene from the film 〈The Dark Knight〉. To film that sequence, the production filmed under a full closure of the area around Tokyo Station, a first in the history of Japanese screen productions.

The eight-episode series 〈Gas Man〉 will be released in full on Netflix on July 2.