Kiki’s Delivery Service is taking flight once more, forty years after the novel was published.
Reported by Variety, Kiki’s Delivery Service has inspired a second live-action adaptation, except this time it’s a series. This project will be a collaboration between BBC Studios Kids & Families, UK production company Wheel in Motion, and Japan’s Kadokawa Corporation. The television series is currently in development and will have 10 episodes, each around a half-hour long, and will adapt the first volume of the novel series. Details on casting have not been made available.
Irena Brignull (The Little Prince and The Boxtrolls) will write the script and said, “Kiki is one of fiction’s great girl characters and I’m thrilled to be part of bringing her to life in this new adaptation. Embodying the magic that exists in re-invention and human connection, she shows us what’s possible when you venture boldly and big-heartedly into the world to find a sense of purpose.”
Although Kiki’s Delivery Service is probably more widely known for its animated adaptation by Studio Ghibli in 1989, the original novel penned by Eiko Kadono in 1985 has racked up numerous awards including the Hans Christian Andersen Awards in 2018 and the Shogakukan Award for Children’s Literature. Following the success of the Ghibli film, Kadono has written more books following Kiki’s many adventures with the most recent published in January 2022.
Kadono was quite excited for the television series. “Kiki is about to set off on another adventure into a new world. I’m confident this will be a great show. I can’t wait to see the series come to life.”
Kiki’s Delivery Service has enjoyed one other live-action adaptation which was a film in 2014 starring Fuka Koshiba as the titular character although it did not garner the same level of critical acclaim as the animated version.
Other information about the adaptation will be revealed at a later date. Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service can be viewed on Netflix and HBO Max.
Source: Variety
