Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose cinematic explorations of family and memory have earned him global acclaim, has begun shooting his newest feature film, Sheep In The Box. The project reunites him with Ayase Haruka, who previously starred in his film, Our Little Sister, and features comedian Daigo in his first leading role in a feature.
The Idea of Resurrection
Sheep In The Box is a science-fiction premise grounded in contemporary anxieties. It is set in the near future, where a couple decides to take a state-of-the-art humanoid into their home with the intention of raising it as their son.
Kore-eda explained the philosophical genesis of the project. “This project began with the idea of ‘bringing the dead back to life using the latest technology’,” he said. This concept, he noted, has already surfaced in Japanese television and attracted considerable attention.
The director’s interest lies in the ethical complexities that arise when technology advances at an unpredictable pace. He is keen to explore “the conflicting perspectives regarding how technological advancement clashes with human inner values.”
He recounted how events in the real world affirmed the timeliness of his subject matter. “In the spring of last year, I came across an article about the popularity of ‘resurrection businesses’ in China; and in the Fall, I met someone actually engaged in that field,” Kore-eda shared.
“It made me realize that such developments could occur in Japan as well, and with technology evolving at a pace far beyond what I had imagined, I felt that this reality might arrive sooner than expected.”
Festival Pedigree and Distribution
The film’s title draws a literary allusion to the French children’s novel The Little Prince.
Following the critical success of Kore-eda’s last feature, Monster, which premiered in competition at Cannes, his new film will be sold internationally by the Japanese company Gaga and the France-based firm Goodfellas. Gaga will distribute the film in Japan in collaboration with Toho, while Goodfellas handles the sales across Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Filming commenced earlier this month, with a release in Japan anticipated in 2026. The film’s pedigree suggests it will be a fixture on the international festival circuit.
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Kore-eda, who won the Palme d’Or in 2018 for Shoplifters, has spent nearly three decades building an acclaimed body of work that includes After Life and Still Walking, establishing him as one of the most consistent and humanist voices in contemporary world cinema.
