Last month, Studio Ghibli exec Junichi Nishioka revealed at the Toronto Film Festival that the upcoming “The Boy and the Heron” would NOT be 82-year-old Hayao Miyazaki’s final film.
‘Heron’ follows a 12-year-old boy named Mahito Maki (Santoki) who is moved to a countryside town with his father and aunt, a place where he doesn’t fit in.
He soon discovers a mysterious abandoned tower in the woods nearby and, with the help of a talking grey heron, enters a fantastical alternate world of magic.
Out promoting the film in Europe recently, producer Toshio Suzuki told French newspaper Liberation (via World of Reel) that Miyazaki is already excitedly working on his next film:
“He thinks about this new project every day, I can no longer stop him, I have given up on that. I’m no longer trying to dissuade him, even if it might be a bad film. In life, only work enchants him.
We spoke again earlier today […] he started talking about this new project, so I’m not stopping him anymore. As long as he works I will not retire. He is 82 years old, I think he will continue until he is 90 years old and I’ll be going along with him for the ride.”
The comments come as both a new poster and international trailer for “The Boy and the Heron” have been released. That film is set to premiere in select U.S. theaters on November 22nd followed by a nationwide rollout December 8th.
