Yet another Japanese anime is getting a Hollywood remake and this time, it's the highest grossing anime film of all time, "Your Name" ("Kimi No Nawa" in Japanese).
Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot have officially acquired the rights to adapt the anime into a live-action movie, Variety reports. Both companies made the announcement on Wednesday.
Abrams, who previously produced "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and all three Chris Pine-led "Star Trek" films, will produce the "Your Name" remake alongside Lindsey Weber and the anime's original producer, Genki Kawamura. Eric Heisserer, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Arrival" will take on the scripting duties, and Toho will handle distribution in Japan.
The director has not been named yet, but considering Abrams' skill at genre fiction, there is a high chance he will helm the remake himself.
In a press release, Toho CEO Yoshishige Shimatani said they are excited to collaborate with the renowned director and the rest of the "extremely talented team" in Hollywood for the live-action adaptation of "Your Name."
Producer Kawamura also expressed his confidence toward the project, noting Abrams' capability to captivate audiences in "masterful reinvention of known properties."
"The meetings so far have been creatively stimulating with fantastic ideas that no doubt will make for a great movie," he said. "I am greatly honored to work with these incredible creators in bringing to audiences the Hollywood live-action version of 'Your Name.'"
Abrams' team has not provided the production and release dates yet. However, as the director is currently focused on "Star Wars: Episode XI" and other projects he is producing like "Westworld," it might be a while before work on the "Your Name" live-action adaptation starts.
The anime, which premiered in Japan on Aug. 26, 2016, swept the Japanese box office last year, beating out Hollywood films including "Captain America: Civil War" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." It centers on a teenaged Japanese boy and girl who mysteriously begin swapping bodies intermittently.
To date, the anime has cashed in more than $355 million and is the highest-grossing anime of all time.
