Guillermo del Toro at the EE BAFTA’s – Image Credit: Getty Images
Fresh off his big success with Pinocchio, Oscar winner and one of the most recognized auteurs of modern cinema, Guillermo del Toro is returning to Netflix with another stop-motion animated feature called The Buried Giant, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel of the same name. Here’s what we know:
Guillermo del Toro will direct the feature as well as co-write it alongside Dennis Kelly, whose credits include Netflix’s Matilda the Musical, Utopia, The Third Day, and more. In fact, we know that Kelly has been attached to The Buried Giant at Netflix since at least the Summer of 2022. Sadly, we were unable to get official comment from Netflix at the time.
On the announcement of the move, Guillermo del Toro commented:
“The Buried Giant continues my animation partnership with Netflix and our pursuit of stop-motion as a medium to tell complex stories and build limitless worlds. It is a great honor and greater responsibility for me to direct this screenplay which Dennis Kelly and I are adapting from Kazuo Ishiguro’s profound and imaginative novel.”
Guillermo del Toro works with Netflix under an overall deal that was struck back in August 2020. It’s one of at least three projects we understand that del Toro currently has in the works with others being Dr. Frankenstein and Vampire Tapestry.
Guillermo del Toro – Picture: Getty Images
Netflix Film Chairman Scott Stuber also made a statement:
“Guillermo del Toro is a visionary filmmaker and master of his craft. We couldn’t be more proud of the prestigious recognition for his Pinocchio, and we’re pleased to continue our creative partnership as he develops his next project with Netflix.”
What’s the plot of The Buried Giant?
The Buried Giant artwork
The Buried Giant is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s best-selling novel of the same name. Released back in March 2015 and Ishiguro reportedly spent ten years “on and off” writing it.
Here’s the synopsis for The Buried Giant:
In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven’t seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share.
Who is cast in The Buried Giant?
As of February 2023, no cast members have been announced for Netflix’s The Buried Giant as the series is still pretty early in development.
We should hear more news about this within the next few months. It’s very likely we’ll hear some familiar voices from Guillermo del Toro’s other works as he is one of those directors who often has his favorites to work with. Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett, Doug Jones, to name a few.
What’s the production status of The Buried Giant?
Netflix’s The Buried Giant is currently in active development with Guillermo del Toro and Dennis Kelly writing the script. We most likely won’t be hearing many updates on the production front as this is a stop-motion animation and the work is done almost exclusively inside animation studios. As on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, ShadowMachine’s stop motion studio will serve as the production’s home base.
What’s the Netflix release date for The Buried Giant?
Netflix hasn’t announced any release dates for The Buried Giant.
That being said, we can observe the timeline for del Toro’s Pinocchio and try to come to some form of an educated guess. Pinocchio has had a troubled development history for 10 years since 2008 and didn’t seem to go into active production until Netflix picked it up in 2018, with the movie finally having a 2022 release.
Animated projects do tend to take a long to make. Will The Buried Giant also need several years to complete or will the process be quicker this time around? Only time will tell.
Are you looking forward to Netflix releasing its adaptation of The Buried Giant? Let us know in the comments.
