Japan: Last News

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief While multiple Korean TV series have connected with global audiences, Japan’s production committees, terrestrial broadcasters and talent agencies have kept their TV industry tightly focused on a local market. Anime and variety have long remained the Japanese TV industry’s best-known exports, while the premium end of the spectrum has largely escaped Japanese producers.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Variety has been granted exclusive access to the trailer (below) for Portuguese director Miguel Gomes‘ “Grand Tour,” which will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Competition section. Variety can also exclusively reveal that that distribution on “Grand Tour” will be handled in France by Tandem, and in Italy by Lucky Red, and that Gomes’ next film will be “Savagery.” “Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married.

The Walking Dead maker Skybound Entertainment is pushing into the unscripted game.

Park Chan-wook is developing his acclaimed film Oldboy for the first time as an English-language series in partnership with Lionsgate Television. Park, who directed and co-wrote the original film, is set to produce the series alongside producing partner Syd Lim.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lionsgate Television is teaming with Park Chan-wook to develop an English-language TV adaptation of Park’s iconic film “Oldboy.” Park directed and co-wrote the original film, which was itself loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name. He will produce the new series version along with his producing partner, Syd Lim. Executives Courtney Mock and Tara Joshi are overseeing the project for Lionsgate Television.

Warning: spoilers aheadThe latest episode of Shōgun is receiving high praise from critics, with one calling it “the best TV episode of the year”.The Japanese series has so far been hailed as “the new ‘Game of Thrones'” thanks to its “cunning” plot twists, but has also been praised for its “elegant” production. It’s expected to run for ten episodes, with its latest episode ‘Crimson Sky’ having just aired.In this episode, viewers watched Lady Mariko, Lord Yabushige and John Blackthorne attempt to escape as hostages in a truly nail-biting episode filled with twists and turns, including Mariko’s shock death.Esquire was impressed with the “brilliance” of the episode, calling it “the best TV episode of the year so far.”“Of all the insane deaths I’ve seen on Shōgun so far—Nagakado slipping and shattering his head on a rock, Yabushige boiling a prisoner alive, and even Hiromatsu stabbing himself in the gut—I never thought Mariko would die, let alone by dynamite! Somebody call me an ambulance—I’ll need some major recovery before I see you all next week.”Meanwhile, Vulture agreed episode 9 was the “best of the series so far”, adding: “Rather than be taken alive, [Mariko] stands against the door and makes a last protest against Ishido.

Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, will be feted with the Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. This marks the first time Cannes has handed its Honorary Palme d’Or to a collective. 

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Studio Ghibli, the animation studio behind “My Neighbor Totoro” and the Oscar-winning animated feature “The Boy and the Heron,” is being awarded an Honorary Palme d’Or at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival. It marks the first time that the award will be given to a group.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Online comic book platforms Marvel Unlimited and VIZ Manga are to begin cross-promotions that are aimed at expanding fandom in the genre. The move follows the 2022-23 collaboration between Marvel Comics and Viz Media that extended stories from the Marvel comics universe into the Japanese manga format, in a handful of titles. Subscribers to the VIZ Manga digital service can now access titles featuring fan-favorite characters including “Deadpool: Samurai,” “Wolverine: Snikt!,” “Spider-Man: Fake Red” and “Marvel’s Secret Reverse.” Later in the year other Marvel-manga crossover titles will be added including “Spider-Man: Octo-Girl” and “X-Men: The Manga: Remastered.” To launch their cross-platform cooperation, VIZ Manga and Marvel Unlimited will offer each other’s U.S.

LE SSERAFIM member Sakura has opened up about her thoughts on the girl group’s recent Coachella performance over the weekend.In a statement on the fan community platform Weverse, LE SSERAFIM’s Sakura touched on the girl group’s recent debut at Coachella, the reception and the process they prepared for the performance, per Korea JoongAng Daily.The Japanese K-pop idol opened her message with questions about what it means to perform, writing: “What does it truly mean to stand on stage? Is it to present a flawlessly polished image? To bring joy to the audience? Or is it to execute the performance flawlessly, without a single hitch?”“Standards may vary depending on the person,” she added. “But as for me, I wanted to create a performance that, regardless of whether the audience knew us or our songs, they could think, ‘This was fun.

Carlos Sainz has revealed that the secret to Ferrari's strategic improvement this year is simply because they now "have a car that is better on tyres".

Lewis Hamilton has been issued a blunt warning by Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, despite the team's strong start to the 2024 season.

Two months after revealing its Korean slate for 2024, Disney+ has unveiled another series from the country. Titled Low Life, the show will premiere on the platform next year and Hulu in the U.S.

Refresh for latest…: As it crossed the $1B international box office milestone this past weekend, Warner Bros again owned the frame with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and its third session haul of $33.7M from 71 markets. That was good for a 47% drop from the previous weekend and lifts the overseas cume to $278.6M and global to $436.6M. Meanwhile, WB and Legendary’s other major title in the marketplace, Dune: Part Two, now has a shot at getting to $700M worldwide.

The Gospel Of The Beast, directed by the Philippines’ Sheron Dayoc, picked up the Golden Star Award for Best Southeast Asian Film at the first edition of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (HIFF) in Vietnam. 

The Formula 1 schedule for the 2025 season has already been revealed!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Oscar-winning Japanese animated fantasy “The Boy and the Heron” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office to record a second weekend win. The film, which opened triumphantly on April 3, in time for a family-oriented long weekend, fell steeply in its second, non-holiday, frame. It earned $12.8 million (RMB90.6 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Kung Fu Panda 4” took top spot at the South Korean box office becoming the film that finally pushed aside local champion “Exhuma,” which had dominated for seven consecutive weeks. But it was an understated victory, rather than a triumphant one, and the exhibition industry’s $5.6 million nationwide haul was among the lowest scoring weekends this year. “Kung Fu Panda 4” earned $2.81 million between Friday and Sunday with a 50.1% market share. Over its full five day run since a Wednesday opening, it enjoyed a $5.96 million total. “Exhuma” slipped to second place in its eight weekend of release.

Led by Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Warner Bros has crossed the $1B mark at the international box office, becoming the first studio to reach the milestone this year. Getting there in just 15 weeks, this also sets a new speed record for WB, besting the 17 weeks it took in 2018. The full international estimate through today is $1.04B.

Coachella 2024 have reportedly responded to calls for a change in the rule over alcohol consumption at the festival.In previous years, alcohol was only allowed to be consumed in certain fenced-off areas.But footage has been shared this year by dance music publication GDE showing bars spread around the festival site, accessible to anyone with a 21+ wristband.

Coachella 2024‘s first weekend has wrapped, but not without controversy as fans have been taking to social media to voice their disdain for the sound quality at this year’s festival.Throughout the course of day one (April 12), several artists faced sound and technical issues, especially on the main stage – known as the Coachella Stage. Some of these acts include headlining Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter and The Japanese House.The Japanese House were one of the first bands to take to the Mojave stage.