Keanu Reeves to Star in Dwarf Studios Stop-Motion Samurai Film Hidari
The casting of a major Hollywood star in a Japanese independent stop-motion project signals a significant leap in international visibility and funding potential for a production that began as a small Kickstarter campaign.
Reporting from 3 sources: Anime News Network, Eiga Natalie, Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment).
Japanese stop-motion studio dwarf announced at the Annecy Animation Showcase during the 79th Cannes International Film Festival that Keanu Reeves will voice the lead role of Jingoro Hidari in the feature-length stop-motion samurai film Hidari. The film is a 90-minute adaptation of a pilot that first streamed online in 2023 and has accumulated over 4.9 million views on YouTube. The pilot has won several international film festival awards. Director Masashi Kawamura, who also wrote the screenplay, said he wrote Reeves's name first on his dream casting list and referenced the John Wick series while creating the pilot and script. Iku Ogawa, known for Pokemon Concierge, is co-directing and co-designing characters with Takeshi Yashiro, who handles wood carving and art design. The film is produced by dwarf in collaboration with TECARAT, which creates the wooden puppets, and Kawamura's studio Whatever Co. The project is still raising funds and recruiting partners. A Kickstarter campaign has raised over 15.2 million yen from 1,419 backers. The film is expected to require about four years of production after receiving a green light, with a current target completion date of 2029.
The announcement was made during the Annecy Animation Showcase, part of an expanded "Cannes Animation" initiative running from May 15-17 under the Marché du Film marketplace. Japan is the 2026 Country of Honor at the Marché du Film. The pilot film screened at the event on Sunday, followed by a talk with director Masashi Kawamura and producer Noriko Matsumoto.
Kawamura said he wrote Reeves's name first on his "selfish dream list" of casting choices for the feature adaptation. "I never dreamed he would actually join us," Kawamura said. "With his help, the whole team will work hard to make a truly interesting film." Reeves commented, "When I first saw the pilot film for 'HIDARI', I was truly amazed. The visuals created by the team are wonderful, and after reading the script, I was convinced this would be a one-of-a-kind film."
The film has received financial support from Questry, a financial startup and asset manager for the Japanese entertainment and content industry. The project is still recruiting more partners and raising funds. The pilot has accumulated over 120,000 channel subscribers on YouTube. Additional producers include Yusuke Tominaga and Masami Ouchi alongside Matsumoto.
Matsumoto said, "With Keanu's participation, our Jingozaemon has finally gained a 'voice'. Not only that, but he is also actively engaging in creative exchanges with director Kawamura, which feels truly unbelievable and exciting!" She added that the indie team aims to produce within "broad possibilities not limited to Japan."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network Keanu Reeves to Star in Dwarf Studios' Full-Length Stop-Motion Samurai Film Hidari
- Eiga Natalie キアヌ・リーヴスが主演声優に決定、ストップモーション時代劇「HIDARI」カンヌで発表（コメントあり）
- Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment) キアヌ・リーブス、日本発ストップモーション時代劇『HIDARI』主演声優に決定 カンヌで発表（オリコン）