A Thai studio is working with Toei to produce a live action film version of Junji Ito's horror manga Hanging Balloons.
Directed by Taweewat Wantha, the story will take place in Thailand instead of Japan for the adaptation. Wantha was the mind behind Death Whisperer 2, the highest grossing film at the Thai box office in 2024. He founded his own studio in 2025 to produce horror projects from a variety of filmmakers.
Speaking to the press, Wantha remarked that "Hanging Balloons is one Junji Ito story I've never been able to get out of my head ever since I first read it." From Toei, planning department head Shiori Takata hoped that the project would resonate across the entire Asian market, not just Thailand.
Originally published in 1994, the short story was first adapted as a film in 2000 and later into animation as part of the Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre anthology series.
