What could go wrong?
Your Name is an anime film — one that played in the United States for some time — but was ultimately the biggest hit in Japan, where it became the fourth highest grossing film of all time in the country. Paramount Pictures is now looking to turn this into a live-action remake, with J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot attached to produce.
Your Name is a sci-fi love story — one in which a young boy and girl living in different parts of Japan discover they can swap bodies with one another. Together they must work to overcome challenges and threats, in a highly original tale. The film is directed by Makoto Shinkai.
Now, it’s going to get American-ized. The good news is that Eric Heisserer, writer of last year’s Arrival, is attached to pen the script. There has been no word on who’s directing the project yet, but it likely won’t be Abrams since he’s now tied up with Star Wars: Episode IX.
However, anime remakes almost never work. We’ve seen countless failed efforts — including Dragon Ball: Evolution, Ghost in the Shell and most recently Death Note.
Shinkai remains hopeful. In a statement via The Hollywood Reporter, Shinkai said: “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 have been completely unaware of. I am looking forward to the live-action with with excited anticipation.”
Still, while there’s talent involved with Your Name, we just can’t get ourselves to be excited yet. We’re hoping and praying that they’ll cast the roles correctly and we won’t have another case of whitewashing on our hands — but at this point, who’s to say? Anything can happen in this business, for better or worse.
Watch the trailer for the original Your Name, and let us know if you’re looking forward to an American remake in the comments below.