Star Wars director J.J. Abrams has announced he is set to turn the highest-grossing anime film of all time into a live action movie.

Your Name was released last year and tells the story of a high school boy and girl in Tokyo and rural Japan respectively who swap bodies. It grossed 34.2 billion Yen (£226.2 million) at the box office in Japan, where it is the fourth-largest film ever behind Titanic, Frozen and Spirited Away.

Abrams and Paramount Pictures will work with the original production company Toho and original creator, writer and director Makoto Shinkai on the project, as The 405 reports.


Genki Kawamura, the original film’s producer said in a statement: “Just like in the film it feels like a dream. Mr. Abrams and his team have captivated audiences in their masterful reinvention of known properties. The meetings so far have been creatively stimulating with fantastic ideas that no doubt will make for a great movie.”

No further details are known about the live action reboot of Your Name as yet, including release date or cast details.

Meanwhile, Abrams recently signed up to direct Star Wars: Episode IX after director Colin Trevorrow left the project.

In a statement, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said she was “excited” to welcome Abrams back to the iconic sci-fi franchise, after he previously helmed Star Wars: The Force Awakens.


“J.J. Abrams, who launched a new era of Star Wars with The Force Awakens in 2015, is returning to complete the sequel trilogy as writer and director of Star Wars: Episode IX. Abrams will co-write the film with Chris Terrio. Star Wars: Episode IX will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Abrams, Bad Robot, and Lucasfilm”, a statement read.