A film adaptation of The Living Corpse (怪奇！死肉の男, Kaiki! Shiniku no Otoko) has been announced for a Summer 2026, but its development is certainly going to be divisive.

The original 1986 horror work by Hideshi Hino was deeply personal, written after the author collapsed from overwork and confronted fears about leaving his young children behind. That emotional background has long been central to the story’s impact.

This adaptation, however, is leaning heavily on generative AI. The screenplay is being written by ChatGPT, music being made with Suno, and the cast’s performances will use AI-generated voice recreations, using contributions from figures such as horror manga icon Junji Ito. The project is specifically being promoted as the first-of-its-kind in Japan to use AI voice performances, along with a fully AI generated adaptation of a manga into a feature-length film.

While the film is being directed by Tsuyoshi Sone, known for his work as cinematographer on One Cut of the Dead, much of the announcement's focus has centered on the production’s reliance on artificial intelligence.

A teaser visual and preview footage have already been released, giving an early look at the project. The adaptation highlights ongoing debate within the industry about how far AI should be integrated into creative work, especially when reinterpreting material born from deeply personal experience.