Tim Burton is developing an original film written by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, set in post-World War II Japan, Deadline reported on October 15, 2026. It would be the first collaboration between the two, and it is still at an early stage: there is no title, no cast and no distributor.
Quick facts
| Director | Tim Burton (reported) |
| Writer | Kazuo Ishiguro, original screenplay (reported) |
| Setting | Japan after World War II |
| Based on a novel? | No, according to Deadline's sources |
| Cast | None attached |
| Studio / distributor | None yet |
| Release date | None |
| Confirmed by Burton or Ishiguro? | No |
What has been reported
The report comes from Deadline, citing multiple sources. According to the outlet, the project is the one Burton has "given the most attention to" since production on season three of Netflix's Wednesday recently ended.
"Plot details are being kept under wraps," Deadline said. Its sources describe an original story, not based on any past or upcoming Ishiguro novel.
Gizmodo and The Playlist, following Deadline's report, both stress what is not yet known: it is not confirmed that this will be Burton's next film, and no studio is attached. The Playlist suggested the lack of a distributor could make the project a candidate for buyers at the AFI festival in November, though that is speculation.
Neither Burton nor Ishiguro has commented publicly.
Why is this pairing unusual?
On paper, the two have little in common. Burton is known for gothic, stylised fantasy: Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice. Ishiguro writes quiet, restrained novels about memory, regret and self-deception, often narrated by people who do not fully understand their own lives.
What they share is an interest in outsiders and in strange, slightly unreal worlds. Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun are both science fiction in a muted key, and The Buried Giant is a fantasy.
Has Kazuo Ishiguro written movies before?
Yes, and successfully. Ishiguro wrote Living (2022), Oliver Hermanus's English-language version of Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, starring Bill Nighy. The screenplay earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
His novels have produced several films:
- The Remains of the Day (1993), with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, nominated for eight Oscars
- Never Let Me Go (2010), with Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley
- A Pale View of Hills (2025), a Japanese adaptation that premiered at Cannes
- Klara and the Sun, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega, due in theaters on October 23, 2026
That last connection is a small coincidence worth noting: Ortega is also the star of Burton's Wednesday.
Why post-war Japan?
It is home ground for Ishiguro. He was born in Nagasaki in 1954 and moved to England at five. His first two novels, A Pale View of Hills (1982) and An Artist of the Floating World (1986), are both about Japan living with the aftermath of the war. An original screen story set in that period would take him back to where his career began.
What has Tim Burton been doing?
Burton's most recent feature is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), the sequel to his 1988 film. Since 2022 he has also been a driving force behind Wednesday, directing episodes and executive producing. Season three recently finished filming, and Netflix plans to release it in 2027.
What to watch
An official announcement from Burton, Ishiguro or a studio, which would confirm what is so far only reported.
A studio deal. Who finances and distributes it will say a lot about its scale.
Casting, and whether the film is in Japanese, English or both.
Published October 18, 2026. The project has been reported by Deadline, citing multiple sources, and has not been confirmed by Tim Burton, Kazuo Ishiguro or any studio.
