Cynthia Erivo to star in a new action thriller film backed by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. The film will see the Wicked actor work with award-winning writer and director Takashi Doscher.
Doscher is best known for Still (2018), starring Madeline Brewer, Nick Blood, and Lydia Wilson, and Only (2019), starring Freida Pinto and Leslie Odom Jr. He is also the screenplay writer for the live-action adaptation of the Stahelski-helmed Ghost of Tsushima.
When is the release date for the new Cynthia Erivo action movie?
Titled Karoshi, the action thriller movie starring Cynthia Erivo is slated to release in theaters on January 29, 2027. The film is set in a near-future Manhattan, where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition have reshaped every life. The official synopsis of Karoshi reads, “When a mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death, he exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface.”
Alongside Erivo, the Karoshi cast includes Eo Yoo (Past Lives), Isabel May (Scream 7), Takehiro Hira (Shōgun), Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), Show Kasamatsu (Tokyo Vice), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad). The title is a Japanese sociomedical term, which translates to “death from overwork,” referring to occupation-related sudden death caused by excessive workload and stress.
While Doscher has remained tight-lipped about Karoshi, he gave fans a glimpse into the film’s development process during a Reddit AMA two years ago. A comment from the session reads, “I had been working with Chad Stahelski (director of John Wick) on a couple of other projects and brought this script to him and his company after the (WGA) strike. Thankfully, he responded to it and has a great relationship with Lionsgate. Through him, we pitched it to Lionsgate (I was incredibly nervous), and thankfully, they loved it too. At the time of the pitch, we also had Teo attached to round out the package.”
Principal photography for the film took place in Vancouver, Canada, from June to August 2025. Pawel Pogorzelski, best known for his work with Ari Aster, handled cinematography responsibilities. Backed by Chad Stahelski’s 87Eleven Productions, Karoshi is also produced by Alex Young (The A-Team, A Good Day to Die Hard, War Machine) and Nathan Kahane ( Harold and Kumar 1 & 2, The House, Always Be My Maybe).
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