It's safe to say that the past few years have been quite a whirlwind for director Lee Isaac Chung. Just over half a decade ago, the University of Utah graduate was on the verge of ending his career as an independent filmmaker and transitioning to teaching about movies instead. Then, in 2020, Minari arrived, earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the 2021 Oscars, propelling Chung into directing roles on The Mandalorian and the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, as well as this summer's blockbuster disaster movie sequel Twisters.
However, there was almost another major project in Chung's lineup that never materialized—a live-action adaptation of Makoto Shinkai's anime hit Your Name. "I loved all the people involved so much," Chung reflects in an interview with Empire for our world-exclusive Andor Season 2 issue. Despite being a fan of the original film, which is widely considered one of the best anime movies ever made, Chung—who signed on to direct a live-action version from an Emily V. Gordon script in 2020—faced challenges in adapting Shinkai's work for an American audience. "I like the animated film," Chung explains, "but I didn't realize how difficult it is to adapt a Japanese animated movie for America. That was the goal Toho set for us, but it's really hard to achieve."
As Empire learns from our conversation with Chung, the failure of Your Name to come to fruition wasn't due to lack of effort. "During the pandemic, I worked on that script for many months," the Twisters director shares, "and eventually realized I had written something I couldn't even shoot." With Lee Isaac Chung having abandoned the project, attention now shifts to Raya And The Last Dragon director Carlos López, the latest filmmaker to take on the challenge of bringing a live-action version of Makoto Shinkai's masterpiece to life. Good luck—and please, don't touch the Radwimps soundtrack!
Read more of our exclusive interview with Lee Isaac Chung in the Ultimate 2025 Preview issue of Empire—on sale now. Order your copy online here. Twisters is available now to buy and stream.
Source link: https://www.empireonline.com
