Streaming giant, Netflix has made a habit of adapting written works and manga, with the successes of The Witcher, One Piece and Alice in Borderland more than enough reason to forge ahead. The streamer’s latest take on live-action will see the adaptation of Hitoshi Iwaaki‘s manga, Parasyte. Netflix‘s take which is titled Parasyte: The Greyhas released its first teaser trailer. The new horror series, a live-action manga adaptation of Japanese origins, is an original K-drama series which is set to premiere on April 5.
The trailer introduces a group of people who have been taken over by parasitic aliens who seem bent on dominating humankind for their benefit. They look, think, and act like humans, but they aren’t human. We soon meet Su-in, portrayed by Jeon So-nee, a young woman who has been grappling with the existence of a parasite within her. However, we soon discover that, unlike others who have been infected, Su-in retains partial control of her being, co-existing with the parasite. Being partially in the enemy’s camp, it makes her a key component of Earth’s plans to fend off these invading forces. The counteroffensive is helmed by Team Grey and its leader, Jun-kyung (Lee Jung-hyun) will have to work with Su-in to stifle this existential threat.
Parasyte: The Grey is directed and produced by Train to Busan and Hellbound director, Yeon Sang-ho. The upcoming action horror series will add to a growing list of collaborations between Netflix and Sang-ho which includes the recently released The Bequeathed. Adhering to a script written by Sang-ho and Ryu Yong-jae, Parasyte: The Grey is partially based on Iwaaki’s sci-fi horror manga of the same name, which was published from 1989 to 1994 by Kodansha.
‘Parasyte: The Grey’ Alters Original Anime Elements
While Sang-ho‘s adaptation draws inspiration from Iwaaki‘s manga, the live-action tells a different story. The official logline for the series highlights this saying, “set in a new locale with fresh characters, the series charts its own unique course while maintaining the imaginative world and profound message of the beloved manga.” So what is so different from the original manga? Parasyte: The Grey maintains the many body horror and science fiction elements that set the original work apart. However, the relationship between the parasite and the titular character was altered. In the manga, the main character, Shinichi, prevents a parasite from burrowing its way into his brain after entering his arm. Keeping the parasite in his arm till maturation, the alien loses its ability to travel to the brain. Thereafter, Shinichi and the parasite devise a means of beneficial cohabitation. The live-action, however, has the parasite present in Su-in’s head, suggesting that it had gotten to the brain but wasn’t able to fully take over. The two protagonists, however, have to strike a balance between the parasite’s survival instincts and the host’s humanity.
Parasyte: The Grey debuts on April 5 on Netflix. Watch the trailer above.
via Collider