Netflix has revealed April 5 to be the release date of Parasyte: The Grey, the live-action Korean adaptation of the sci-fi horror-thriller manga Parasyte. There’s also a new poster, which has Jeon So-nee‘s heroine Jeong Su-in in the foreground and the tagline, “The parasites hidden among us.” Other people who have been taken over by the parasites can be seen as well.
In a statement provided to Netflix, Parasyte creator Hitoshi Iwaaki said, “I am most excited that this is ‘a new story’; while I am the author of the original manga, I could also be a member of the audience that experiences thrill and awe.”
“Thinking back to when the original manga was adapted in Japan, “Parasyte” the manga is like a ‘child’ to me, born from my own work in a small room, while the animation and live action film were like ‘grandchildren’, born from my child going out in the world and meeting many people and their wisdom, experience, and technology. I am overjoyed that another ‘grandchild’ is being born in Korea. I believe that this ‘new story’ taking place in a different location will lead us into a world beyond my imagination.”
Parasyte: The Grey is directed by Train to Busan‘s Yeon Sang-ho, who co-wrote the script with Ryu Yong-Jae (Peninsula). The story, says Netflix, will follow Su-in “as she grapples with her newfound coexistence with a parasite.” The show will also follow Team Grey, “a group dedicated to fighting mysterious parasites that live off humans.”
Aside from Jeon, the series stars Koo Kyo-hwan as Seol Kang-woo and Lee Jung-hyun as Choi Jun-kyung. Seol is a man who is tracking down parasites in order to find his sister, while Choi is the leader of Team Grey, who previously lost her husband to the parasites.
Iwaaki’s Kodansha-published manga was serialized from 1988 to 1995 and initially collected into 10 tankoubon volumes. A spin-off titled Parasyte Reversi ran from 2018 to 2021 and has eight tankoubon volumes. The original manga inspired a TV anime adaptation directed by Kenichi Shimizu (All Out!) and produced by Madhouse, which ran from 2014 to 2015 with 24 episodes, and a two-part Japanese live action movie released in 2014 and 2015.
Parasyte: The Grey was announced in August 2022 and is produced by Climax Studio and Wow Point.
Source: @netflix