Netflix scores Han Yan’s Animal World co-starring Michael Douglas

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

A word of warning to all of you coulrophobics out there: The following trailer contains a nasty-looking clown who carves through its victims like Jason Voorhees on a bender during a 4th of July weekend at Camp Crystal Lake. Granted, its a rather cartoonish display of violence, though I've been in this game long enough to know that triggers come in all shapes and sizes.

The slash happy clown I speak of comes to you by way of the teen action film ANIMAL WORLD, which has just been acquired by Netflix for a chance to entertain subscribers of the popular streaming platform. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has acquired global digital rights to the title for all territories outside of China, according to industry sources with knowledge of the deal. CMC Pictures, the international film distributor controlled by Li Ruigang’s China Media Capital Holdings, is also planning to give the film a substantial international theatrical release.

Directed by Han Yan and based on the popular Japanese manga Ultimate Survivor Kaiji, ANIMAL WORLD stars Li Yifeng (Mr. Six) as an imaginative teenager who gets lured into a dangerous game of wits overseen by an icy arch-villain. Wait, it gets better. Did I mention that the "icy villain" is played by none other than the great Michael Douglas? Yup!

You can check out the trailer for ANIMAL WORLD below:

In the past, Ultimate Survivor Kaiji has been adapted into two celebrated films in Tokyo, and soon, Netflix audience members will have their chance to delight in ANIMAL WORLD's off-the-wall action, stylish cinematography, and outrageously bizarre setting. The movie premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival last weekend and opens nationwide in the Middle Kingdom on June 29. THR's own Shaghai reviewer referred to the film as an "exciting if disjointed mash of ideas and emotions" that "turns into a risk-it-all gambling fantasy that is surprisingly gripping."

Be sure to check back with us for more news as to when ANIMAL WORLD plans to make its global Netflix debut.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.