Netflix’s Mousetrap Release Date & Time, Trailer, Cast, and Plot

Netflix is closing out August with a psychological thriller that turns a Korean folktale into a modern nightmare about identity theft. ‘Mousetrap’ is set to premiere exclusively on Netflix on August 28, 2026, giving subscribers a new mystery series to dig into over the last weekend of the month.

The show has been building anticipation since its earliest announcement, and the premise alone, a man who wakes up to find his entire identity has been claimed by someone else, has been enough to keep genre fans watching for updates. With the release date now locked in and a cast led by two respected Korean actors, ‘Mousetrap’ looks positioned to be one of the platform’s more talked about international titles this year.

‘Mousetrap’ Release Date and Time

‘Mousetrap’ was initially developed under the working title ‘The Rat’ and is a television adaptation of the Kakao webtoon Field Mouse by Ludovico. The series was first unveiled in January 2026 as part of Netflix Korea’s 2026 slate and was originally announced for a third quarter 2026 release window.

By the end of July, Netflix officially confirmed August 28 as the series’ global premiere date. The show is set to have 10 episodes, with all of them releasing simultaneously on the same day, which sets viewers up for a full weekend binge rather than a weekly rollout. Netflix has categorized ‘Mousetrap’ under its mystery and crime programming, and the series will launch globally with international dubbing, including English.

Production on the series ran from mid-April 2025 through November 2025, giving the creative team a lengthy shoot to bring the story’s central mystery to life.

‘Mousetrap’ Plot and Its Folktale Roots

The premise of ‘Mousetrap’ is built around a deeply unsettling question, what happens when the world simply stops recognizing you as yourself. The story follows Je Moon-jae, a reclusive novelist who becomes desperate after a mysterious figure known as The Rat steals his identity and financial assets.

Moon-jae discovers that the fingerprint recognition on his phone no longer works, and the friend who had helped him manage his affairs disappears entirely. With no way left to prove who he actually is, he learns that this figure calling itself The Rat has effectively become him.

To reclaim his life, Moon-jae forms an unlikely alliance with No-ja, a loan shark turned private investigator, and the two are drawn into a tense manhunt to uncover the truth behind the identity theft and the conspiracy hidden beneath it. No-ja had once pursued Moon-jae over an unpaid debt years earlier, so their reunion is complicated from the start, even as they work toward the same goal.

The show’s title draws from older cultural material rather than the Agatha Christie play many might assume. The story is inspired by a Korean folktale about a rat that transforms into a human after consuming someone’s fingernails, a premise the writers have reworked into a contemporary thriller about stolen identity and erased history.

‘Mousetrap’ Cast Led by Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu

Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu were confirmed for the series in what marks their first collaboration together. Ryu Jun-yeol plays Je Moon-jae and previously starred in the Netflix series ‘The 8 Show,’ along with earlier roles in ‘Lost,’ ‘Lucky Romance,’ and ‘Reply 1988’. His film credits include ‘Alienoid,’ ‘Little Forest,’ ‘A Taxi Driver,’ and ‘Money’.

Sul Kyung-gu takes on the role of No-ja, the loan shark who runs a private detective agency. The veteran actor recently starred in ‘The Whirlwind’ and appeared in acclaimed features like ‘Kill Boksoon’ and ‘The Moon,’ bringing a heavyweight presence to the cat and mouse dynamic at the center of the show.

The series is directed by Kim Hong-sun, known for genre television including ‘Dear Hongrang,’ ‘Money Heist: Korea, Joint Economic Area,’ ‘The Guest,’ ‘L.U.C.A.: The Beginning,’ and ‘Voice,’ with Lee Jae-gon writing the script. The project is produced by Kakao Entertainment, CJES Studio, and H.House.

‘Mousetrap’ Trailer and What to Expect

An official teaser trailer for the series has already been released ahead of the premiere, giving audiences their first proper look at the paranoia and tension driving the story. Netflix Malaysia’s social media promotion has framed the show around the idea that everyone becomes a suspect once the mystery of The Rat’s true identity takes hold, which lines up with the slow-burn, everyone-is-a-suspect tone the marketing has leaned into.

Given the structure of a single day, 10 episode drop, ‘Mousetrap’ seems designed for the kind of rapid-fire theorizing that tends to follow Korean thrillers with a hidden villain at their core. The mix of a folkloric premise, a two-hander lead performance, and a director experienced in genre television gives the series a reasonable foundation heading into release, even before critical reaction starts to come in.

Whether ‘Mousetrap’ can turn its identity theft premise into one of Netflix’s more memorable Korean thrillers of the year will likely come down to how well the central mystery of The Rat’s true identity pays off, and that’s exactly the kind of ending viewers will want to weigh in on once they’ve made it through all ten episodes this weekend.