GHIBLI GOES GLOBAL
Toho Co., Ltd. has unveiled a 2026–2028 world tour of its stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning animated feature “Spirited Away,” including a return engagement at London’s Coliseum in spring 2028. The production will open at the National Theater, Taipei in December, move through a national Japan tour beginning in Tokyo from March 2027, then play the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto from May to August 2027 and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from September to October 2027. The London leg, running March to July 2028, will be co-produced by PW Productions.
The original Japanese-cast production drew more than 300,000 audience members across a 17-week sold-out run at the London Coliseum in 2024, winning Best New Play at the 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards and earning four Olivier Award nominations. It subsequently played 42 performances at Shanghai Culture Square in mid-2025 and a 94-performance run at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House beginning January 2026, with every performance sold out across both engagements.
Directed by John Caird (“Les Misérables”), the production — adapted from Miyazaki Hayao‘s 2001 film, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003 — features a live orchestra performing Joe Hisaishi‘s film score, with set design by Jon Bausor, puppets by Toby Olié and costumes by Nakahara Sachiko.
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NIPPON NAVIGATOR
Nippon TV has established a new Global Strategy division and appointed Takaya Kazuo – formerly president of Hulu Japan from 2023 to 2026 – to lead it as president. The unit will focus on international IP development, technology and regional partnerships, with particular emphasis on scaling unscripted production brand Gyokuro Studio and AI production tool AiDi. The broadcaster simultaneously promoted Hiramatsu Satoru to executive VP of content business, where he has overseen the global expansion of formats including “Old Enough!” – now recommissioned for Seasons 2 and 3 in Canada – and “Mother,” which K7 Media ranks as the most-remade scripted format originating in Asia across 11 international versions.
BOLLYWOOD BACKER
Indian media entrepreneur Siddharth Roy Kapur has joined CineNow, a film and entertainment investment platform, as principal advisor to the founding team. The company is building a structured film IP investment vehicle targeting INR1,350 crore ($143 million), aimed at bringing institutional capital and governance frameworks to India’s content sector. “CineNow is building a unique platform at the intersection of content, capital and technology,” Roy Kapur said.
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