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Oscar-Winning Parasite Film's Director Bong Joon-Ho Not Planning Animated Project in Japan (Updated)

Update: Digital Hollywood CEO Takeshi Yoshimura reported on March 10 that he made a mistake when interpreting for Bong Joon-Ho onstage a week earlier, and that the director did not say in Korean that he was working on an animated project "in Japan." The original article is below:

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Bong Joon-Ho, the Oscar-winning director and co-writer of the film Parasite, revealed during the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024 ceremony on Saturday that he is planning an animation project in Japan. Before presenting the Best Director Award to Shōta Goshozono (Jujutsu Kaisen season 2), the South Korean filmmaker reported that he had spent the whole day before the ceremony in his hotel room, drawing storyboards for the project.

CartoonBrew reported on February 13 that the director is setting up production for an upcoming animated feature film in South Korea. The director began working on the script for the feature in 2018, and the film will begin production in the second half of the year. Korean news outlet Daum reported that the film will have a budget of "roughly 70 billion won (US$52.6 million)," and that Sony Pictures is negotiating for distribution rights outside South Korea. According to CartoonBrew, the film's story will focus on the "relationship between humankind and marine life."

In his comments on Saturday, Bong did not specify if his planned animation project in Japan is the same as this previously revealed film, or a separate project. He also did not specify which studio or studios would be working on the planned project in Japan.

Bong's VFX studio 4th Creative Party has previously collaborated with Toei Animation and AZworks on director Shinji Aramaki's Harlock: Space Pirate animated film. Jang Seungyeol, an animator from the studio, was also involved in the production of Yoshiaki Okumura's Korasho no Kaitei Wakuwaku Daibouken! anime film.

Source: The Crunchyroll Anime Awards live stream