Bullet Train Explosion, an upcoming J-drama series brimming with thriller and action, is set to be released on Netflix on April 23. However, a large portion of subscribers have compared the series to Keanu Reeves’ Speed, calling it a rip-off of the iconic 1994 movie.
Helmed by Shinju Higuchi (known for co-directing Shin Godzilla), Bullet Train Explosion (also known in Japanese as Shinkansen Daibakuhaku, meaning “Big Shinkansen Explosion”) unfolds on a Hayabusa-class shinkansen, where former SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi plays a driver on the Tohoku Shinkansen line connecting Aomori and Tokyo.
The plot ignites after the train departs for Tokyo with a bomb threat: the train is rigged to explode if its speed drops below 100 km/h, and the bomber demands 100 billion yen to prevent the catastrophe.
Wait, does this premise remind you of Speed? You’re not alone—many people have called the upcoming Shinju Higuchi film a copy of the 1994 classic. But that’s not the case, folks.
Instead, this new Netflix film draws inspiration from a much earlier source: the 1975 Japanese movie The Bullet Train (also known in English as The Bullet Train: Super Express 109), which shares the same Japanese title, Shinkansen Daibakuhaku.
The forthcoming Netflix flick, Bullet Train Explosion, features a talented cast including Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kanata Hosoda, Non, Takumi Saitoh, Machiko Ono, Jun Kaname, and more. It will premiere on Netflix on April 23. Stay tuned for more updates.