Netflix Teams Up with Japan’s Toho to Reboot ‘The Human Vapor’

Yeon Sang-ho and Shinzo Katayama, co-creators of Netflix’s ‘The Human Vapor’ series remake.

Courtesy of Netflix

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 project marks the first collaboration between the global streaming giant and the Japanese studio.

The series is being co-helmed by a Korean-Japanese creative team. Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey) will serve as the 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) are set to 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, all while financially supporting a struggling dancer he admires. The film is considered an early masterpiece of the sci-fi thriller genre, renowned for its innovative VFX and its exploration of power structures and societal oppression.

The new series will transplant the tale to present-day Japan, leveraging state-of-the-art VFX to revive the story’s iconic kaijin (humanoid monster).

Yeon says he was approached by Toho to remake a film from the studio’s “Transforming Human Series,” and The Human Vapor grabbed his interest the most.

“It is a 1960 film, but its sci-fi expressions are still impressively skillful,” Yeon explains. “I believed that if it were reborn with modern visuals, it would be truly fascinating.”

Toho proposed Katayama as a potential director for the project. The duo then spent around three years, along with co-writer Ryu Yong-jae, envisioning the updated story.

“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,” says Katayama.

Fans should expect the series to take at least a year to be ready for release. However, Yeon and Katayama 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 establishing a strong presence in the Korean film and TV world, Netflix has been focusing on leveraging the Japanese industry’s live-action entertainment. This project is part of a broader effort to bring 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.