Overview
- Keanu Reeves confirmed his participation in a video shown at the Annecy Animation Showcase, a development that raised the project’s profile on Thursday.
- Masashi Kawamura is writing and directing Hidari as a feature built from a five‑minute proof‑of‑concept short that drew more than five million YouTube views.
- The production emphasizes handcrafted wooden puppets and a carved‑wood ‘Wood Punk’ look with every frame shot frame‑by‑frame to create large‑scale samurai action.
- Producer Noriko Matsumoto said the film briefly had a Hollywood studio offer that stalled and that the team has since partnered with Questry, with no production schedule or release date announced.
- Festival showings and Reeves’ casting are being used to secure financing and co‑production partners as the makers try to expand niche stop‑motion craft into a mainstream cinematic action film.