David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima to Direct Live-Action Hello Kitty Film
After years of development with no director attached, the Hello Kitty film now has a creative team with recent blockbuster experience and a firm release date.
Key Facts
- David Derrick Jr., co-director of Moana 2, and John Aoshima, director of Ultraman: Rising, are co-directing Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema's live-action/animation hybrid Hello Kitty film.
- Ramsey Naito, former president of Paramount Animation, joins as a producer alongside Beau Flynn.
- The film is set for a worldwide release on July 21, 2028.
- The Hello Kitty film project began in 2019 when Sanrio and New Line Cinema first made a deal.
- The film will include other Sanrio characters.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Deadline reports David Derrick Jr. (Moana 2) and John Aoshima (Ultraman: Rising) are co-directing Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema's live-action/animation hybrid Hello Kitty film. Ramsey Naito joins as producer. The film opens worldwide July 21, 2028, and will include other Sanrio characters.
The Hello Kitty film project dates to 2019, when Sanrio and New Line Cinema first struck a deal. A 2021 report named Jennifer Coyle and Leo Matsuda as directors and Lindsey Beer as writer, but the project went quiet after that. The new director team, announced Monday by Deadline, brings in David Derrick Jr., who co-directed Moana 2, and John Aoshima, who directed Netflix's Ultraman: Rising. Ramsey Naito, former president of Paramount Animation, joins as a producer alongside Beau Flynn. The film is set for a July 21, 2028 global release.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.