With Train to Busan and dark fantasy series Hellbound under his belt, Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho has demonstrated his prowess in the thriller genre. Parastye: The Grey seems set to follow in the same vein, as its first trailer teases a fierce battle between humanity and alien parasites that are able to morph and control their host bodies.
The clip gives an extended look at the brand of body horror to expect, showcasing splitting heads, sprouting tentacles, and grotesque transformations. It’s accompanied by a new poster featuring Jeon So-nee (When My Love Blooms), who plays a teenage girl forced to coexist with a parasite.
Premiering 5 April on Netflix, Parasyte: The Grey follows Jeong Su-in as she grapples with her half-human, half-alien self, and Team Grey, a group commited to fighting against these parasitic life-forms. The show is a new take on Hitoshi Iwaaki’s best-selling manga Parasyte, which was serialised from 1988 to 1995.
Joining Jeon in the main cast are Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula, Escape from Mogadishu) as Su-in’s brother Seol Kang-woo, and Lee Jung-hyun (Peninsula, Decision to Leave) as Team Grey leader Choi Jun-kyung. As of now, there’s no word on the episode count for the series.
Parasyte: The Grey is hardly the franchise’s first foray into the realm of live-action adaptations. A two-part Japanese production was released in 2014 and 2015, the same airing period of its 24-episode anime produced by Madhouse. A manga spin-off, Parasyte Reversi, ran from 2018 to 2021.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Yonk
Natalie
