For Netflix a lot of exciting announcements came out of Tokyo, at the end of a two-day promotional event, it was announced the streaming giant has enlisted the services of Hirokazu Kore-eda to develop both a series and direct a feature film for Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Both projects will be the Japanese director’s first works for a streaming service. During a Netflix presentation at the event, Kore-eda added that both projects will have a much larger scale than his previous features. For the series, Kore-eda will serve as the show’s showrunner and will even direct a couple of episodes while working with young directors to finish the remaining episodes which he says was a big appeal to work on this project.
“Netflix and I are teaming up to create a drama series and a big-budget movie that is different from my previous works,” he said during the event in Tokyo. “You still need to wait for a bit before they’re finished and delivered to you. I incorporate different elements from those in theatre movies and try to create exciting works.”
In addition to the announcement, the streaming service announced its commitment to producing 50 new Japanese projects which will add to the already 90 Netflix-branded Japanese titles already offered on the service. The announcement is off the heels of its popular Korean series, Squid Game which gained popularity since its release back in September. It’s looking like with this Netlfix is betting more on Asian content for its catalogue of original content.
“Our next big bet is expanding feature films. Japan is home to extraordinary talent who shape the cinematic history of the world. With creators as diverse as the ones we work with today, we’re excited to play a role in the history of great local talent finding their voices and delivering them to audiences everywhere,” Netflix Japan vice president of content, Kaata Sakamoto said.
Also unveiled during the event was dates and release windows for Netflix’s growing collection of anime series which includes JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean (December 1st, 2021), The Orbital Children (January 28, 2022), Tiger & Bunny 2 (April 2022), Kakegurui Twin (August 2022), The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh (2022), Ultraman Season 2 (2022) and more.
Netflix also gave release windows for some upcoming live-action Japanese series including some live-action anime adaptations like Love is Blind: Japan (Unscripted Series: February 2022), Love Like The Falling Petals (Film: March 23, 2022), Last One Standing (Unscripted Series: March 2022), Toma Ikuta (Documentary: Spring 2022), Alice in Borderland Season 2 (Series: 2022), First Love (Series: 2022), Yu Yu Hakusho (Series: 2023), Once Upon a Crime (Film: undated) and Gundam (Film: undated).
