Folks who are longtime readers of The Playlist will no doubt be familiar with our love of the work of filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. And sadly, since the release of his 2019 film, “The Truth,” just a year after his Palme d’Or-winning “Shoplifters,” we have yet to see a new feature from the acclaimed director. Well, last year, it was revealed the Japanese filmmaker was possibly working on a new Korean-language feature, “The Broker,” but we have yet to hear any release information. Thankfully, it appears Kore-eda isn’t slowing down anytime soon, as he revealed that he just signed a multiple project deal with Netflix.
READ MORE: ‘Broker’: Hirokazu Kore-eda Reportedly Working On A New Film Starring Song Kang-ho
According to Variety, Kore-eda revealed the news at the Netflix Japan Festival 2021, where the filmmaker teased two projects he’s working on with the streamer. The first is a “big-budget” film that he said is “different” than anything else he’s worked on in the past. Then he said that he is also working on a TV series that he will showrun and contribute also as a director on multiple episodes. Though plot details were not revealed.
“Netflix and I are teaming up to create a drama series and a big-budget movie that is different from my previous works,” teased the filmmaker. “You still need to wait for a bit before they’re finished and delivered to you. I incorporate different elements from those in theater movies and try to create exciting works. Please look forward to them. Probably, the scale of the new movie will be different from the movies I’ve made before. Also, the drama series would not be realized if I didn’t collaborate with Netflix.”
He added, “I’m not the only director working on the drama right now, I’m responsible for the chief direction as the showrunner, and [will] direct several episodes myself. But this time I try to incorporate young directors and work with them. This is also a big appeal for me to work on this project.”
As mentioned, Kore-eda is an award-winning filmmaker and many consider him one of the best living directors today. So even with the barest bits of information about his Netflix projects, these are both things that we are going to eagerly anticipate. Let’s all hope for a Kore-eda-full future ahead.