Studio Ghibli is a company that needs no introduction. The studio is known for its iconic features which Hayao Miyazaki directed over the years. From My Neighbor Totoro to Ponyo, the artist has overseen plenty of animated films, but no one should ever expect Miyazaki to translate his work into live-action.
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In fact, there are few things anyone can do to push Miyazaki in the way of live-action adaptations. During a recent conference, one of Studio Ghibli’s top producers confirmed the director is not interested in live-action anime even when Hollywood comes knocking.
As reported by Sora News 24, Toshio Suzuki appeared at a recent conference for the Kabuki adaptation of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. The live-action venture surprised everyone when it was announced given its ties to Miyazaki, but it will focus primarily on the manga which the artist penned. Still, the project was touch and go for some time, and Suzuki admits he was surprised Miyazaki gave his approval after denying pitches from Hollywood.
“[Miyazaki] turned them all down, and I thought he wouldn’t like the idea of a kabuki play either, but he was willing,” the producer said of Hollywood’s various pitches of a live-action adaptation.
According to the producer, Miyazaki had two conditions for the Kabuki play, and one of them was that its name must not be changed. The condition makes enough sense, but there is a very important reason behind the demand. Decades ago, the U.S. did a theatrical release of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind under the name Warriors of the Wind which was critically panned. The movie cut out more than 20 minutes of Miyazaki’s movie which totally shifted its tone. Clearly, Miyazaki still has some hard feelings against Hollywood thanks to the slight amongst other things, so fans really shouldn’t expect the filmmaker to ever approve a live-action adaptation from the West.
Do you think Hollywood will ever get a shot at adapting a Studio Ghibli film? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
