‘Karōshi’ Trailer Turns Corporate Culture Into a Samurai Bloodbath From the Producer of ‘John Wick’ – Release Date Revealed

Chad Stahelski has spent years building a reputation for action that prizes precise choreography and long, clear takes over shaky cameras and digital shortcuts. As the director behind every entry in the mainline ‘John Wick’ franchise, he is closely tied to that style of practical, punishing fight scenes.

Now his company, 87Eleven, is backing a very different kind of revenge story. ‘Karōshi‘ takes its title from a Japanese word meaning death from overwork, a recognized phenomenon in which employees die from heart attacks, strokes or stress brought on by extreme workplace pressure. The film turns that grim idea into an action thriller.

Lionsgate has now released the first trailer for ‘Karōshi’, which opens in theaters on February 5, 2027. The film had previously been dated for January 29, and a new poster showing a sword-wielding figure emerging from blood-red rain accompanied the shift. The film is set in a near-future Manhattan where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition have reshaped everyday life.

The official logline says a mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death and exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface. The trailer opens with sweeping views of the city before Takehiro Hira speaks to a crowd about how a technology company has shaped the modern world.

First trailer for ‘KARŌSHI’ starring Teo Yoo, Isabel May, Takehiro Hira, Show Kasamatsu, Giancarlo Esposito and Cynthia Erivo. When a mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death, he exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface. In theaters February 5, 2027. https://t.co/ZViGdMx4db

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 5, 2026

The tone turns brutal quickly. In one shocking moment, an employee chooses to jump from a roof and lands in front of Isabel May’s character. As the footage continues, the company is described as following the path of the samurai, and the trailer cuts to more workers falling to their deaths while others are choked out or cut down with blades.

Teo Yoo, the star of ‘Past Lives’, appears in the trailer wielding a sword, which fits the film’s early description as a corporate thriller with a samurai twist. The story is also said to carry a revenge element, set in a Japanese-influenced version of New York City.

Alongside Yoo, May and Hira, the film stars Bill Camp, Show Kasamatsu, Giancarlo Esposito and Cynthia Erivo. Hira, known for ‘Shōgun’, is playing a villain, and May has credits that include ‘1923’, ‘Young Sheldon’, ‘1883’ and ‘Scream 7’. Kasamatsu is recognizable from ‘Tokyo Vice’, while Esposito is known for ‘Breaking Bad’ and Erivo for ‘Wicked’, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

The ensemble reflects the story’s cross-cultural setting and gives the film a mix of action-ready performers and award-level talent.

Takashi Doscher wrote and directed the film. His previous credits include ‘Chicago P.D.’ and the 2019 film ‘Still’, which starred Leslie Odom Jr., Freida Pinto and Chandler Riggs.

Stahelski produces alongside Jason Spitz, Alex Young and Nathan Kahane, and the film is also backed by the company True North. Stahelski has the upcoming ‘Highlander’ reimagining on his plate as a director, which makes ‘Karōshi’ a chance for him to shape an action brand without sitting in the director’s chair.

Filming took place in Vancouver, with production running from June to August 2025 under the working title ‘Koi’. By the middle of this year the movie had completed filming and entered post-production, with editing, music and visual effects work underway.

The film runs 1 hour and 38 minutes, according to its listing on Rotten Tomatoes. With 87Eleven’s reputation for continuous takes and martial arts craftsmanship, and a samurai flavor on top, blade combat appears set to take center stage.

The idea of a hidden corporate machine that grinds employees down is far from new, but ‘Karōshi’ pushes it to an extreme by making the violence literal. The title alone signals a story about the cost of loyalty to an institution, and the trailer wastes little time showing that cost on screen.

Whether the film can match the best of the action genre will not be clear until it reaches theaters, but the first look suggests an ambitious, stylish and bloody take on workplace horror. For fans of ‘John Wick’ and revenge cinema, it has an obvious appeal.

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