GKIDS has acquired the US, Canadian, UK, and Irish distribution rights to director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s new film Look Back.
The film will be the first live-action adaptation of the popular manga Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man. The project was shot in Nikaho City in northern Japan and is currently in post-production.
The film is produced by Daiju Koide under the K2 Pictures banner, which will also distribute the movie in Japan. A theatrical release in Japan is planned for 2026, with releases in the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland expected to follow.
Look Back is a coming-of-age tale centered on the friendship and creative journey of two young girls who share the dream of becoming manga artists.
The manga was first published on the Shonen Jump+ platform in 2021 and quickly became a hit, reaching 2.5 million views on its first day and surpassing 4 million views within two days. The work has sold more than 900,000 copies in Japan and has been published in 37 countries worldwide.
Kore-eda said he first discovered the manga by chance at a bookstore in Shinagawa Station and read it in a single sitting. The director noted that he strongly felt the creative drive behind the work, which ultimately convinced him to adapt it into a film.
