Japan’s Yuji Sakamoto, who won the best screenplay award at Cannes for writing Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster, has signed a deal is to develop projects at Netflix over the next five years.
Sakamoto had previously collaborated with the streaming giant as the writer and producer of In Love and Deep Water, a romantic mystery feature starring Ryo Yoshizawa and Aoi Miyazaki, which is set for release later this year.
Kaata Sakamoto, vice president of content at Netflix Japan, said: “Yuji Sakamoto continues to create a variety of masterpieces, ranging from socially conscious works to lighter comedies and love stories… We look forward to bringing Yuji’s unique, original storytelling to a global stage, coupled with the very best production environment and creative partnerships to realise his vision.”
Previous notable works by the screenwriter include We Made A Beautiful Bouquet, popular manga adaptation Tokyo Love Story, and Fuji TV drama Mother, which proved a major hit in Japan and was remade in France, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, China and Turkey.
Monster, which played in Competition at this year’s Cannes, is only Kore-eda’s second film to be scripted by another writer since his 1995 debut drama Maborosi.
The collaboration between Sakamoto and Netflix Japan is part of an ramping up of local live-action titles from the streamer in recent months, which includes features such as Call Me Chihiro and the upcoming Zom 100: Bucket List Of The Dead, as well as series like Sanctuary, First Love, Kore-eda’s The Makanai: Cooking In The Maiko House and season two of Alice In Borderland, which quickly became the most-watched Japanese show ever on Netflix. Later this year, Netflix will release live-action adaptations of beloved manga Yu Yu Hakusho and City Hunter.
No comments yet