Mangaka Junji Ito has his work adapted on a regular basis for Japanese and international audiences. There’s a few adaptations to look forward to, with the newest being Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales for Sleepless Nights.
The first two episodes of the new series premiered this weekend at Anime Expo 2026 during the horror creator’s panel. In Japan, the series premiered this weekend on TV Tokyo, and it’ll hit international audiences this fall on HBO Max. This’ll be the second Ito adaptation on the platform following Adult Swim’s divisive (and allegedly troubled) go at tacklingUzumaki in 2024, and the first attempt at translating his work in live-action since 2011’s Tomio
Sleepless Nights is an anthology series based on 13 Junji Ito stories with their own individual casts and creative teams. The adapted stories come from Ito’s 12-volume Masterpiece Collection,including “The Mansion of Phantom Pain” from Volume 10, “A Father’s Love” from Volume 5, and “Face Thief” from Volume 3. Episodes six and seven will have two stories each—”Tomio: Red Turtleneck” and “Memory” in the former, “In Old Records” and the aforementioned “Thief” in the latter—and Volume 4’s Lovesickness will spread across three episodes.
Look for Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales for Sleepless Nights to (probably) arrive in time for Halloween on HBO Max. We’ll have more on the series as news emerges
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