Disney+ and Hulu announce Japanese horror anthology ‘Night Tales Club’ starring Takayuki Yamada

The supernatural anthology, adapted from Ichi Sawamura’s short stories, will launch on Disney+ and Hulu in January 2027.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 21 Oct 2026 02:00:16 GMT

Disney+ and Hulu unveiled a new Japanese horror anthology series titled Night Tales Club, set to debut in January 2027, according to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

What happened

The six‑part series adapts six stories from a collection by horror writer Ichi Sawamura. Each episode is directed by a different filmmaker, with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Shimizu among the seven directors. Takayuki Yamada stars as Hojo, a wealthy entrepreneur who believes supernatural phenomena are “bugs” pointing to a hidden conspiracy. Hojo offers 20 million yen in gold to anyone who can present a firsthand supernatural account, which forms the basis of each episode. The framing sequences featuring Yamada are directed by Kenji Nakajima, while the series is produced by Yusuke Wakabayashi and Teruhisa Yamamoto.

What the reports add

Variety lists the additional directors as Shinzo Katayama, Yukiko Sode, Yuichiro Sakashita and Yosuke Nakamura, and notes that author Sawamura also adapted his own material for the screen.
The Hollywood Reporter says the project was announced on Wednesday with first‑look images and a teaser trailer, and highlights Yamada’s international profile from Netflix’s The Naked Director.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that Disney+ is planning to triple its annual output of international original series over the next three years, and that a multi‑year development agreement with TBS‑owned The Seven will fuel more Japanese live‑action originals.

What was said

“As the original author of these stories, I feel an enormous sense of surprise and joy that they will soon be available on screen to scare audiences around the world!” – Ichi Sawamura, Variety.

“As the original author of these stories, I feel an enormous sense of surprise and joy that they will soon be available on screen to scare audiences around the world!” – Ichi Sawamura, The Hollywood Reporter.

How it came about

The announcement follows Disney+’s recent expansion of Japanese‑focused content, including the launch of the podcast ‘Las Culturistas’ on Disney+ and Hulu earlier in October 2026. It also comes as Disney prepares to roughly triple its international original output, with Japan slated to play a key role in its Asian production ambitions.

Key facts

Night Tales Club is a six‑part Japanese horror anthology series set to premiere on Disney+ and Hulu in January 2027. (variety.com)
The series adapts six stories from horror writer Ichi Sawamura’s collection. (hollywoodreporter.com)
Directors include Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Shinzo Katayama, Yukiko Sode, Yuichiro Sakashita and Yosuke Nakamura. (variety.com)
Takayuki Yamada stars as Hojo, a wealthy entrepreneur offering 20 million yen in gold for supernatural evidence. (hollywoodreporter.com)
The project was announced with first‑look images and a teaser trailer on 21 Oct 2026. (hollywoodreporter.com)