John Wick creator brings corporate burnout to the big screen in Karōshi

Chad Stahelski is trading hitmen for overworked office drones in his upcoming dystopian action film, Karōshi. Set for early next year, the Lionsgate project takes its name from a real phenomenon of death by overwork that claims hundreds of lives annually in places like Sweden and Asia.

Writer and director Takashi Doscher moves this bleak concept into a futuristic corporate Manhattan controlled by Ikigai Technologies. A gritty new trailer shows the stark clash between deadly office culture and brutal street-level vengeance. The story follows an outsider named Hiro, played by Teo Yoo, who infiltrates the powerful company after a worker dies.

Hiro seeks violent retribution against the system hidden beneath the corporate facade, backed by a strong supporting cast that includes Takehiro Hira and Giancarlo Esposito. Our read is that anchoring a high-octane action thriller in real labor anxieties gives the genre a timely, grounded edge that standard revenge tropes usually lack.

Watch for whether this bleak premise can translate into a hit franchise when the film opens next year.