It was announced in 2019 that Makoto Shinkai’s sensational animated movie ‘Your Name’ was getting a live-action adaptation into Hollywood. It was supposed to be much like the original animated version and that not much was to be improvised. In early 2019, Mark Webb’s name was into the light for directing this live-action adaptation of Your Name to be working with Eric Heisserer on the script and that the story would be same as the original Shinkai’s directorial but with an American setting. “A young native American girl living in the rural area discovers she is magically connected with a guy from Chicago as they are recurringly swapping bodies with each other. With the vision of an impending disaster in their sight, they have to set on a journey together to save their respective worlds.” Mark Webb has his name for Hollywood movies like Amazing Spider-Man.
With the latest announcement by the production houses, it is finalized that Mark Webb is replaced by Lee Isaac Chung who has just risen to fame with his latest release Minari, the recipient of many critical lauds and accolades from fans like Grand Jury and Audience award at Sundance 2020. Chung has been given the director’s chair to direct Your Name live-action with his own set of skills and better knowledge about Asian fans and their choices. Lee Chung will be working with Emily Gordon’s version of the original script. Gordon has written scripts for movies like The Big Sick.
It is assumed that Chung is brought on board for the producers want this movie to be closer and similar to the original animated one and that could be why an Asian director is called upon the project. The original movie followed two teenagers discovering each other with whom they have swapped bodies. And how two teenagers who haven’t been able to trade names with each other got able to divert a disaster and saving people’s lives with that is the major twist in the story.
As mentioned, the original reason for Mark Webb getting replaced is still unknown it's being speculated that fans of the original movie would feel more enthusiastic if an actual Asian director is handling the project with his native insights and world-class directorial skills.
This live-action movie for the original animated film is being produced by the likes of Paramount, Toho and Bad Robot, to which Makoto Shinkai has shown his full consent.
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