Oscar-nominated director Carlos López Estrada (Raya and the Last Dragon) has signed on to write and direct a live-action version of the Japanese animated fantasy Your Name. The 2016 anime film follows a teenage boy in Tokyo and a teenage girl in the Japanese countryside who mysteriously swap bodies.
“Insanely lucky to adapt the most beautiful animated movie ever,” López Estrada said. “Will handle with care.”
According to Variety, López Estrada’s remake will tell the story of two teens who “discover they are magically and intermittently swapping bodies. When a disaster threatens to upend their lives, they must journey to meet and save their worlds.”
Born in Mexico City in 1988, López Estrada landed his big break in Hollywood in 2018 with the release of the critically acclaimed comedy-drama Blindspotting, a story about a convicted felon and his hot-blooded friend told on the backdrop of a gentrified Oakland. López Estrada would then go on to direct the 2020 comedy-drama Summertime before earning a co-directing gig on Raya and the Last Dragon alongside Don Hall (Big Hero 6).
During an interview with Remezcla last year, López Estrada explained how he views his role as a Latine director in Hollywood working on a major animation project and the responsibility he feels representing our storytellers.
“There aren’t a lot of us in these positions in animation or in Hollywood in general,” he said. “It’s inspiring to see that people are looking at our community to bring in our voices and our stories. I’m trying to do what I can to extend the same kind of opportunity that I have to other people in our community to share their perspective.”
Along with Your Name, López Estrada is also currently developing a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1973 animated film Robin Hood.