Grab your broomstick; it’s time for a new TV series about a teenage witch. No, not that one: BBC Studios Kids & Family has announced a new live-action television adaptation of Kiki’s Delivery Service. Hayao Miyazaki famously adapted the cozy children’s fantasy novel by Eiko Kadono, first published in 1985, into an animated film for Studio Ghibli in 1989. Takashi Shimizu also directed a live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service film in 2014.
Kiki’s Delivery Service follows Kiki, a witch who has just turned 13 years old, as she ventures out on her own for the first time and settles in a new town. There, she starts a magical delivery service, zooming around on her broom and helping the townsfolk with mundane tasks.
The new live-action series, which the BBC is co-producing with Wheel in Motion and Kadokawa Corporation, will consist of 10 30-minute episodes. Irena Brignull (The Boxtrolls, The Little Prince) will write the scripts. And though Kadono eventually turned Kiki’s Delivery Service into a whole series of novels, the new series will focus mostly on the first one.
“Kiki is one of fiction’s great girl characters, and I’m thrilled to be part of bringing her to life in this new adaptation,” Brignull said in a press release. “Embodying the magic that exists in reinvention and human connection, she shows us what’s possible when you venture boldly and big-heartedly into the world to find a sense of purpose.”
Takeo Kodera, director of international co-productions at Kadokawa, added, “We cannot imagine a more exciting tribute to the landmark 40th anniversary of this classic book series than this partnership. The UK creative team has absorbed the spirit of Kiki through their close collaboration with Ms. Kadono, and the results will enchant family audiences everywhere.”
Kiki’s Delivery Service is currently in development with no set release date yet.
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