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Mike Wiluan’s World War II-set historical horror Orang Ikan has been picked up by Shudder for release in North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Deadline reports today.
Inspired by both Malay folklore and the 1954 monster movie classic Creature from the Black Lagoon, Orang Ikan follows a Japanese ship transporting prisoners of war to occupied territories for slave labor:
After being torpedoed by allied submarines, a Japanese soldier and a British POW are stranded on a deserted island, and soon discover that they are being hunted by a ferocious mythological creature, the Orang Ikan. Both the soldier and POW realize that they must work together to survive the unknown, despite their differences.
Dean Fujioka (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Callum Woodhouse (All Creatures Great & Small) star in the Singapore-Indonesia-Japan-UK co-production.
In a statement, Wiluan (who also wrote Orang Ikan) spoke more about the origins of the story:
“I’m very proud to have Shudder present the film in territories that have a rich history and appreciation for creature films […] The ‘Fish Man’ folklore is a globally recognised phenomenon that has enjoyed several re-incarnations. Orang Ikan is a pan-Asian interpretation of the genre that also questions the nature of humanity during times of war.”
Per Deadline, Orang Ikan is produced by Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo (Spirit World) and Tan Fong Cheng (Ramen Shop) at Zhao Wei Films alongside Freddie Yeo (Westworld, Crazy Rich Asians) at Infinite Studios and Fumie Suzuki Lancaster (Gensan Punch) of SC Films.
No Shudder release date for Orang Ikan has been set yet, but watch this space.
