The hunt for the rat has begun.
The Rat has found its leads in Ryu Junyeol and Sul Kyunggu for the drama adaptation of the webcomic Field Mouse. Created by Ludovico, the dark and surreal series draws inspiration from a Korean folktale about a rat that transforms into a human by consuming human fingernails. Filming is scheduled to begin in April.
Ryu stars as Moon Jae, a reclusive novelist who hasn’t stepped outside in a decade. When he suddenly finds himself locked out of his phone’s fingerprint ID system and discovers his only friend has vanished, Moon Jae decides to re-enter the world. Unable to prove his identity, he turns to No Ja, a loan shark-turned-private investigator who’s been chasing him for three years over an unpaid debt. Played by Sul Kyunggu, No Ja reluctantly joins the search, and what begins as a hunt soon turns into a game of survival, as it becomes unclear who’s hunting whom.
The Rat will be directed by Kim Hongsun, fresh off the release of Dear Hongrang on Netflix. Kim’s previous credits include Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area and the Voice series. The script comes from Lee Jaegon, writer of A Model Family. The series is a joint production by CJES Studio, H.House, and Kakao Entertainment.
Ryu Junyeol gained international recognition with his role in Reply 1988, which earned him the Best New Actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards. He has since appeared in The King, A Taxi Driver, and The Night Owl, and most recently portrayed Seong Min-chan in the webtoon-to-film adaptation Revelations.
Sul Kyunggu made his mark with The Bird That Stops in the Air and led the critically acclaimed Peppermint Candy. He received the Grand Prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards for Public Enemy and took home Best Actor honors for Hope and Kingmaker. He recently appeared as Choi Deok-hee in the action-thriller Hyper Knife.
Currently, The Rat webcomic has not been translated into English, and the Netflix series is expected to premiere in 2026.
Source: Netflix
