Earlier in the fall, as his wonderfully strange “The Boy and the Heron” was premiering, we learned that Hayao Miyazaki was not retiring and was indeed working on a new film.
Some of the reviews for “The Boy and the Heron” were calling it his “swan song”, but get that thought out of your head immediately. Studio Ghibli VP Junichi Nishioka mentioned during TIFF that it would not be Miyazaki’s final film. It turns out that Miyazaki is already hard at work at Ghibli offices with a new project.
Ever since his 1979 debut, “The Castle of Cagliostro,” Hayao Miyazaki has amazed us with the poetic surrealism of his films. Now 82, and newly unretired, “The Boy and the Heron” has become the biggest box office success of Miyazaki’s career in the U.S.
It seems as though Miyazaki might be returning to a universe he knows well. In a recent behind the scenes documentary (2399 days with Hayao Miyazaki) about the production of ‘Heron,’ Hayao Miyazaki has (voluntarily?) triggered a horde of rumors that were already circulating a month ago: his next film might be a sequel to one of his best films.
In the documentary’s final scene, a clue is given about the director's next project. Miyazaki can be seen talking about his future and then drawing the character of Nausicaä and her "pet" Teto. "It's painful to return to this world," says the filmmaker.
Will Hayao Miyazaki’s next film be a sequel to Nausicaä? Or is he just working on a new manga ? It’s really hard to tell.
It’s difficult to really get more details at this time as Miyazaki tends to be secretive about what he works on. In the meantime, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to revisit this 1984 film, and listen to the fabulous requiem-like score composed by Joe Hisaishi.