Netflix's 'Mantis' Starring Im Si-wan Set to Clash with SBS Drama of the Same Name

The battle of the 'Mantis' is on as Im Si-wan's Netflix film 'Mantis' goes head-to-head with the SBS drama 'Mantis: The Murderer's Outing.' Coincidentally, both projects feature protagonists nicknamed 'Mantis,' who are also killers.

On the afternoon of the 25th, a production briefing for Netflix's 'Mantis' was held at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by director Lee Tae-sung and actors Im Si-wan, Park Gyu-young, and Jo Woo-jin.

'Mantis' is an action film that follows an A-list hitman known as 'Mantis' (played by Im Si-wan) who returns from a long hiatus to a world where the rules of contract killing have collapsed. He faces off against his training peer and rival 'Jae' (played by Park Gyu-young) and retired legendary killer 'Dokgo' (played by Jo Woo-jin) in a battle for supremacy.

During the event, Im Si-wan humorously remarked, "Many people asked me why I wasn't appearing in the drama 'Mantis.' I want to apologize for any confusion. I'm not in the drama, but I am in the movie. Unfortunately, senior actress Go Hyun-jung is not in our film."

He continued, "I watched the drama 'Mantis' and noticed a significant difference. Senior actress Go Hyun-jung's Mantis is ruthless and evil. However, the Mantis in our film is humane and kind. They're bad, but we're good. That's probably the biggest difference. I think our Mantis is superior in terms of morality. Even though both involve killing, they're distinctly different."

'Mantis' will be released on the 26th.

Reported by Ryu Ye-ji, TenAsia ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr