Disney+ unveils Japanese horror anthology Night Tales Club
Key Takeaway: Disney+ has unveiled Night Tales Club, a six-part supernatural mystery anthology series starring Takayuki Yamada and premiering in January 2027, with episodes directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu and four other filmmakers.
Disney+ unveiled Night Tales Club on Wednesday with first-look images and a teaser trailer: a six-part supernatural mystery anthology series starring Takayuki Yamada, premiering in January 2027, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
The series adapts six stories from a collection by Japanese horror author Ichi Sawamura, with each episode directed by a different filmmaker, including Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Shinzo Katayama, Yukiko Sode, Yuichiro Sakashita and Yosuke Nakamura.
The premise
Yamada, known for Netflix’s The Naked Director, plays Hojo, a wealthy entrepreneur obsessed with unexplained phenomena. Convinced that ghost stories, monsters, curses and other supernatural anomalies are “bugs” pointing toward a deeper conspiracy, Hojo establishes the titular Night Tales Club, inviting people who have encountered the inexplicable to share their experiences and evidence in exchange for 20 million yen in gold.
That prize is roughly $130,000 according to The Hollywood Reporter, or $126,000 according to Variety, which gives both figures. Each of the six episodes follows a different account of the supernatural, and Sawamura wrote the scripts for each episode based on his original collection.
Kenji Nakajima, director of The Naked Director and Tokyo Swindlers, directs the framing sequences featuring Yamada, while Yusuke Wakabayashi and Teruhisa Yamamoto produce.
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
Disney’s Japan push
The series is part of a wider bet on Japanese originals. Disney said it plans to roughly triple its annual output of international original series over the next three years, up from approximately 60 to 70 shows this year, with Japan expected to play an important role, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
In April, Disney struck a multi-year development agreement with TBS-owned production company The Seven, and its earlier Japanese originals include the folk-horror thriller Gannibal, whose second season arrived in 2025.
The announcement came a day after Carol Choi replaced the retiring Luke Kang as President of The Walt Disney Company APAC, Deadline reports. Variety describes the premiere as arriving on Disney+ and Hulu, while The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline describe a Disney+ release.
Key Story Metrics
| Figure | Reported Status |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 6 |
| Premiere | January 2027 |
| Hojo’s gold prize | 20 million yen (~$130,000 per THR; $126,000 per Variety) |
| Episode directors | 6 (Kurosawa, Shimizu, Katayama, Sode, Sakashita, Nakamura) |
| Disney international originals | ~60-70 this year, planned to roughly triple in 3 years |
✓ Verified
The six-part format, January 2027 premiere, Sawamura source material and screen adaptations, Yamada as Hojo, the six episode directors plus Nakajima on the Hojo framing sequences, producers Wakabayashi and Yamamoto, and the 20 million yen in gold premise are confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Deadline. The Sawamura quotation is verbatim in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
⚠ Still needs confirmation
The dollar conversion of the 20 million yen prize differs: roughly $130,000 (The Hollywood Reporter) vs $126,000 (Variety); both are shown. Variety describes the premiere as Disney+ and Hulu; The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline describe a Disney+ release only.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Night Tales Club premiere?
January 2027, on Disney+ (Variety also names Hulu).
Who is directing the episodes?
One episode each from Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, Shinzo Katayama, Yukiko Sode, Yuichiro Sakashita and Yosuke Nakamura, with Kenji Nakajima directing the Hojo framing sequences.
What is the premise?
Takayuki Yamada plays Hojo, a wealthy entrepreneur who offers 20 million yen in gold to anyone who brings a firsthand, evidenced account of the supernatural to his Night Tales Club.
Editor’s note: **Editor’s note:** Dollar conversions of the 20 million yen prize differ between outlets; both published figures are shown above.
