Adaptation, Adaptation, Adaptation! Mr. Franchise himself, J.J. Abrams, has signed on with Paramount to direct the live action adaptation of anime love story Your Name. Though still will sci-fi ties, the film stands out from Abrams’ action filled resume which boasts big brands, including Cloverfield, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Mission: Impossible.
Abrams adapts from the 2016 Japanese animated film, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. Itself based on Shinkai’s own novel, Your Name tells the story of a girl in rural Japan and a boy in Tokyo who are able to swap bodies. Also divided by time and space, the threat of a space disaster on one of their towns forces the pair to find a way to get together and prevent the catastrophe.
A love story commended for its heavy emotional tone and strong animation, the film became a huge success. With a gross earning of over $355 million, Your Name is the highest grossing anime film of all time, over $60 million ahead of Spirited Away in second place.
Paramount are certainly looking to bring the story to a wider audience with its live action adaptation (no doubt also trying to replicate its commercial success). Abrams’ experience and capabilities are sure to bring the project to great heights, and with Arrival scribe Eric Heisserer adapting the script, could take the film to the Oscars.
Abrams will also produce under his Bad Robot banner with Lindsey Weber. The original 2016 film’s Genki Kawamura will assist in producing the adaptation.
Shinkai looks to be very happy with the upcoming reinvention, commenting “Your Name is a film created with the innate imaginations of a Japanese team and put together in a domestic medium. When such a work is imbued with Hollywood filmmaking, we may see new possibilities that we had been completely unaware of. I am looking forward to the live-action film with excited anticipation.”
There will very much be anticipation elsewhere, as casting the film’s parts comes into play. A Japanese film with Japanese characters, a Western adaptation might still lead to so-called whitewashing of roles. Will Abrams’ film be made authentic to the original? Or will we have another casting scandal on our hands?
#Peace.Love.YourName
