Train to Busan Creator’s New Sci-Fi Thriller Gets Trailer & Netflix Release Date

Yeon Sang-ho, the South Korean filmmaker behind the global hit Train to Busan, has reunited with Netflix for a new project that reimagines a largely forgotten piece of Japanese cinema. The streaming platform has confirmed the release date of Human Vapor.

Human Vapor trailer, art and Netflix release date set

The series reboot of Toho’s legendary 1960 tokusatsu movie The Human Vapor has a global release date of July 2. Netflix released a trailer that shows the upcoming series will trade the campy charm of the 1960 original for a sleek, modern nightmare grounded in gritty realism.

It teases a terrifying human capable of transforming into vapor, slipping through cracks in law enforcement while leaving a trail of destruction. Accompanying the trailer, several key pieces of art have also been released featuring other cast members with a hint of vapor surrounding them.

The official synopsis states, “The world recoils in shock when a person suddenly swells and explodes on live television. The culprit behind this unprecedented murder is the ‘Human Vapor’ — a man who can transform his body into gas and slip through any barrier. He announces his killings in advance and carries them out, seemingly mocking the authorities as they struggle to close in on him. With each new incident, he corrodes society with a formless, pervasive fear.”

Yeon Sang-ho writes and executive-produces the project. He’s known for using genre frameworks to examine societal breakdown as seen in Train to Busan, Hellbound, and Parasyte: The Grey.

Directing duties rest with Japan’s Shinzo Katayama, whose previous works include Gannibal and Missing. The collaboration brings together Toho, WOWPOINT, and Netflix in a cross-border production alliance.

The central role of the Human Vapor has gone to UTA, a newcomer selected to meet the goal of finding a “fresh actor with a totally blank canvas.” Opposite him, Shun Oguri plays Kenji Okamoto, a detective pursuing the Human Vapor, while Yu Aoi plays Kyoko Kono, a reporter intent on uncovering the truth. Suzu Hirose, Yutaka Takenouchi, and Kento Hayashi also join them.