Three years after Monster, Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda is back with his latest, Sheep in the Box, the first look and teaser of which have been released online. The acclaimed filmmaker is expected to present his film at this year's edition of the Cannes Film Festival in May, with a theatrical release on May 29, 2026.
Sheep in the Box sees Kore-eda returning to the science fiction genre, which he had earlier dabbled in, through the 2009 film Air Doll and a short film he made for Apple last year, titled Last Scene.
The official logline, which revolves around a grieving couple who bring home a humanoid robot resembling their son, may recall Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence (AI), but anyone familiar with Kore-eda's work so far will know that the filmmaker behind such poignant stories as Still Walking and After Storm comes up with unique original narratives.
In an interview with Deadline last year, Kore-eda mentioned a real-life inspiration for the film. "This project began with the idea of ‘bringing the dead back to life using the latest technology. A few years ago, similar concepts had already been featured on Japanese television programs, which attracted considerable attention. I was interested in exploring the conflicting perspectives regarding how technological advancement clashes with human inner values," he said.
Kore-eda got interested in further exploring this idea when he came upon a newspaper article on the subject. “In the spring of last year, I came across an article about the popularity of ‘resurrection businesses’ in China, and in the Fall, I met someone actually engaged in that field. It made me realise that such developments could occur in Japan as well, and with technology evolving at a pace far beyond what I had imagined, I felt that this reality might arrive sooner than expected,” he added.
Sheep in the Box features actor Daigo Chidori playing a father, Haruka Ayase as his wife, and Rito Kuwaki as the humanoid son.
