J.J. Abrams and Paramount Pictures are teaming up to produce a live-action Hollywood adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s sci-fi teen romance, “Your Name.”
Rich in Japanese culture and symbolism, the story of “Your Name” centers on Mitsuha, a Shinto shrine maiden who is tired of her simple life in the backcountry boonies, and Taki, a high school student and aspiring architect living the cosmopolitan life in Tokyo. The two discover that they are mysteriously switching bodies and must cope with the strange phenomenon.
Shinkai’s “Your Name” went on to earn $355 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing anime film of all time and the fourth highest-grossing animated film.
Abrams is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, having directed the first installment of the “Star Trek” films and, more recently, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He will be producing the live-action adaptation of “Your Name” along with his Bad Robot production team. “Arrival” scribe Eric Heisserer has signed on to pen the script.
This news is the latest in Hollywood’s turn to anime in its continuing quest for diverse stories. Also in production are live-action TV series adaptations for “Cowboy Bebop” and “One Piece.”
