Director Isaac Chung Explains Why his Your Name Live-Action Didn’t Happen

Your Name is undoubtedly one of the greatest anime films ever created. Brought to life by the creative genius of legendary artist Makoto Shinkai, this masterpiece captured the hearts of anime fans worldwide with its breathtaking story of adventure and a beautiful romance between two protagonists connected by fate.

Adapting anime into live-action films is a challenging task, often met with skepticism by fans. The production team must work tirelessly to win over anime enthusiasts on the big screen. In the case of the Your Name live-action adaptation, director Lee Isaac Chung shared why the project never saw the light of day.

Director Isaac Chung Explains Why his Your Name Live-Action Didn’t Happen

Initially, Chung was enthusiastic about bringing his vision of Your Name to the big screen, especially as a fan of the original film. “This was a situation where I simply loved everyone involved,” Chung said.

He explained that while he admired the animated movie, he underestimated the complexities of adapting a Japanese anime into an American live-action film. This was the exact challenge Toho had placed before him and his team—a challenge that ultimately proved to be too daunting.

Chung, known for directing acclaimed works like Minari, The Mandalorian Chapter 19, and this year’s hit Twisters, was an obvious choice to helm the Your Name adaptation.

However, after months of effort, Chung admitted he couldn’t bring Your Name to life as a live-action film. “During the pandemic, I worked on that script for many months,” Chung revealed. “And I finally reached a point where I realized I had written something I couldn’t even begin to film.” As a result, Chung stepped away from the project.

Now, the project is in the hands of Carlos López Estrada, director of Raya and the Last Dragon. Fans are hopeful that López Estrada will find a way to adapt one of the most iconic anime films into a live-action format.

via: Voce Sabia Anime