A trailer for "Karōshi" has arrived on YouTube. Chad Stahelski, known for the John Wick series, produces the action thriller, which is set in a near-future Manhattan where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition have reshaped daily life.
The film follows a mysterious outsider who infiltrates a corporate giant called Ikigai Technologies after the death of a worker. He sets out to expose the violent system beneath the company's polished surface, though his motive is unclear beyond a stated wish to tell the world the truth.
Takashi Doscher, who directed "Only" and "Still," directs and wrote the screenplay. Teo Yoo of "Past Lives" stars, with Isabel May of "Scream 7," Takehiro Hira of "Shogun," Bill Camp of "Presumed Innocent" and Sho Kasamatsu of "Tokyo Vice." Giancarlo Esposito of "Breaking Bad" and Cynthia Erivo of "Wicked" also appear.
What the trailer shows
The trailer opens at an Ikigai Technologies ceremony, where a man who appears to be an employee, played by Kasamatsu, jumps from the roof of a building and falls to his death. The company is described as placing weight on samurai thinking.
Fight scenes use a paper umbrella and a kusarigama — a sickle joined to a weighted chain. Guards wear helmets resembling kabuto, and characters combine suits with kimono-style haori jackets.
Lionsgate will release the film in US theaters on February 5, 2027. 87Eleven Entertainment and True North Production produced it. A Japanese release has not been decided.
Karoshi — death from overwork — is a recognized cause of death in Japan, and the film borrows the word for its title while placing the story in New York.