Hot off his win for best screenplay at Cannes for Monster, Yuji Sakamoto has scored a 5-year contract to make movies and shows at Netflix, signaling a continuation of the streaming company’s dedication to more Japanese language content and (presumably) that they’re happy with what they’ve seen of Sakamoto’s large budget mystery film In Love and Deep Water.
“Yuji Sakamoto continues to create a variety of masterpieces, ranging from socially conscious works to lighter comedies and love stories, that capture our hearts and minds and keep us coming back for more,” said Kaata Sakamoto, Netflix’s VP of Content, in a statement. “We look forward to bringing Sakamoto’s unique, original storytelling to a global stage, coupled with the very best production environment and creative partnerships to realize his vision.”
This is great news for fans. Hopefully Sakamoto shook hands on a better deal than Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who reportedly boosted Netflix’s value by almost a billion dollars without receiving any kind of bonus and without retaining his intellectual property rights.
Obviously it’s too early to tell what Sakamoto will write for Netflix beyond In Love and Deep Water (with drops later this year), but given Sakamoto’s history with adapting manga and Netflix’s interest in doing more after Alice in Borderland, it’s a safe bet that we might see at least one adaptation from him.
(via The Hollywood Reporter)