Kore-eda Hirokazu Signals Japanese Movie Return With 'Monster'

Kore-eda Hirokazu, Japan's most recognizable auteur filmmaker is shooting his first film in Japan since its Cannes 2018 Palme d'Or winner "Shoplifters," distributor Gaga announced on Friday.

Titled "Monster" and currently in post-production, the film is also only the second film from Koreeda to be scripted by fellow writer Sakamoto Yuji, whose credits include the hit 2021 romantic drama “I Fell in Love Like a Bouquet of Flowers.” (His first was the 1995 title "Maborosi", which was scripted by Ogita Yoshihisa as an adaptation of a novel by Miyamoto Teru.)

The main producer is Kawamura Genki, whose many hits are anime box office hits of Shinkai Makoto, including the "Suzume" currently being released. Kawamura and Koreeda also collaborated on the new Netflix original series "The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House", which is set to release on January 12, 2023.

The main cast of the new film has not yet been announced, but a release on June 2, 2023 the date was penciled in, with Gaga and Toho distributing jointly.

Since the release of "Shoplifters", Koreeda has made two films overseas: the French film from 2019's "The Truth" and the 2022 Korean film "Broker." Neither did much business in Japan, unlike "Shoplifters," which grossed $33 million locally in 2018. The new film, with two distribution powerhouses behind it, promises a return to the director's earlier form at the box office.

Kore-eda has been uncharacteristically vocal over the past year, urging the Japanese film industry to engage in structural reforms and changes. He and six other directors belonging to a group called Eiga Kantoku Yushi no Kai (translation: Voluntary Association of Film Directors) launched action4cinema/Coalition for the establishment of a Japanese CNC (A4C), a non-profit organization dedicated solving deep-rooted industry problems and advocating for the creation of a body similar to the French CNC.

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