It seems like The Boy and the Heron is no longer Hayao Miyazaki’s final movie

So it seems The Boy and the Heron may no longer be Hayao Miyazaki’s final movie. Studio Ghibli VP Junichi Nishioka suggested in a new interview that the animation pioneer has already been pitching some new ideas.

The news came via journalist Eli Glasner who spoke with Nishioka on the red carpet at Toronto International Film Festival, where Miyazaki’s latest movie is premiering. Sharing the insight on Twitter, he wrote: "Exciting news for fans of Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli VP Junichi Nishioka tells us The Boy and the Heron is not Miyazaki’s final film and that he is already coming into the office with new ideas."

This is certainly interesting news as much of the lead up to The Boy and the Heron has focused on it being the Spirited Away director’s final film. CBC, the publication that broke the story, hasn’t yet shared the full chat with Nishioka so we’d be interested to hear more about what he has to say - we’ll keep you updated.

The Boy and the Heron follows a teenage boy as he enters a magical world with a talking grey heron. The first reviews and reactions have been glowing, and it seems the film explores issues out psychology, family, and growing up.

It sounds wonderful, but we have to admit it’s music to our ears that this may not be the last film we see from the visionary director behind Howl's Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro.

For more upcoming movies check out our breakdown of all the 2023 movie release dates.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.