A high profile puppet animation project is moving forward with Guillermo del Toro steering both writing and direction for an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed fantasy novel The Buried Giant. The production will follow the model of Del Toro’s earlier puppet film, Pinocchio, and will premiere on Netflix, expanding the streaming service’s slate of intimate, visually inventive storytelling.
Collaborating on the screenplay is Dennis Kelly, known for shaping provocative series like Utopia and the surreal, atmospheric film work seen on The Third Day. Kelly brings a knack for weaving mystery and myth with character driven drama, which should complement Del Toro’s signature visual sensibility and love for creature design. The pairing signals a project aimed at audiences who crave mood, texture, and a slow burn of storytelling rather than fast action alone.
The Buried Giant centers on Axel and Beatrice, an elderly couple navigating a fogbound England long after the era of King Arthur. The villagers are afflicted with a troubling memory loss that erases events, even those that occurred only an hour earlier. Together, Axel and Beatrice undertake a perilous journey in search of their long-lost son, seeking truth in a landscape where recollection itself becomes scarce. Ishiguro’s narrative tradition blends dreamy, remote horizons with intimate moments of doubt, making the couple’s voyage a meditation on memory, aging, and the fault lines of family ties.
On the casting front, there has been talk of notable performers stepping into iconic roles, consistent with Del Toro’s affinity for memorable, transformative performances. While details remain under wraps, the project is structured to balance an imaginative puppet aesthetic with a grounded emotional core, aiming to attract fans of literary adaptations and fans of expressive, handcrafted animation. The addition of Kelly as a collaborator suggests a script that leans into suspense, mythic resonance, and a keen eye for character dynamics within an expansive, atmospheric world.
As production advances, Netflix remains the platform of choice for this ambitious interpretation, which promises a blend of myth-making, folklore, and modern animation techniques. The project underscores Netflix’s ongoing commitment to storytelling that is visually distinctive and narratively layered, able to welcome international source material into a shared cinematic experience. The collaboration between Del Toro and Kelly reflects a broader industry trend toward cross-cultural adaptations that honor original voices while exploring new cinematic forms.