After much speculation about whether horror-genre director Shimizu Takashi (The Grudge, Ju-on) would be the one to helm a live-action adaptation of Eiko Kadono’s children’s fantasy novel Kiki’s Delivery Service, Japanese newspapers Sports Nippon and Sports Hochi shed some light on the rumors. The publications announced today that Takashi is indeed taking the reigns of the project and a live action version of Kiki’s Delivery Service is in the works. Sixteen-year-old Japanese figure skater Fuka Koshiba is reportedly set for the starring role of Kiki. The novel follows a young witch, who must use her flying abilities to make a living, while she spends a year on her own in a town without any other witches. Hit the jump for more.

The confirmed news of Takashi’s plans to direct Kiki’s Delivery Service comes courtesy of Twitch. The novel was popularized by Hayao Miyazaki’s 1989 Studio Ghibli animated version based on the series’ first novel of the same name. While Takashi’s live action take will follow in the same footsteps it is also said to include elements from the second novel in the series and tell a more thorough account of the story. Knowing Takashi’s inclination towards horror, I think it’s possible we’ll see a darker version of Kiki this time around, which makes the prospect of a live action take much more appealing.

Here’s the synopsis for Eiko Kadono’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (via Amazon):