Guillermo del Toro returns to the world of stop-motion animation with a film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s fantasy novel, The Buried Giant, for Netflix.
According to a report from The Hollywood ReporterDel Toro will direct and produce the film, with a screenplay he will co-write with Matilda the Musical composer Dennis Kelly. He will also be returning to work with stop-motion animation studio ShadowMachine after the massive success of Pinocchio in 2022.
The Buried Giant was published in 2015, ten years after Ishiguro’s last book. The story follows the journey of elderly British couple Axel and Beatrice who live in a fictional England where no one is able to retain long-term memories.
Del Toro is thrilled to be able to adapt this story and bring it to the screen: “The Buried Giant continues my animation partnership with Netflix and our quest to use stop-motion as a way to tell complex stories and build limitless worlds. It is a great honor and an even greater responsibility for me to This is a screenplay that Dennis Kelly and I adapted from Kanzo Ishiguro’s deep fantasy novel.
“Guillermo del Toro is a visionary director and a master at what he does. We are extremely proud of the critical success of his film Pinocchio, and are excited to continue our creative partnership as he develops the next project with Netflix,” added Scott Stauber, Head of Netflix Films.
Del Toro’s Pinocchio has been a huge hit on Netflix. It was released on the streaming service in December, and has received widespread positive reviews, and it recently won Best Animated Feature at the BAFTA Awards.