After Suzume's release, many fans are wondering about Makoto Shinkai's next movie. Will there be one, and what will it be about?
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Will There Be Another Makoto Shinkai Movie?
As of writing, the hype surrounding Suzume no Tojimari is still going strong, but there are no confirmed Makoto Shinkai films after that.
That being said, Shinkai is definitely considering his next step, as confirmed by a recent interview.
Since the beginning of his career, the Japanese animator has worked on 13 films and six video games, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Suzume is still airing in international movie theaters and is expected to release on Crunchyroll later on.
As such, it'll be a while before the hype dies down and interest in a new film by Makoto Shinkai really starts to take off.
What Will Makoto Shinkai's Next Movie Be About?
It's unknown if Makoto Shinkai is currently working on his next film, so we can only speculate about its subject matter.
Perhaps some hints can be found in Makoto Shinkai's main themes based on his previous movies.
The beloved creator's works are often preoccupied with love between two young people.
This love is hindered by some sort of boundary, often supernatural, that the characters must overcome.
After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, which changed the lives of many Japanese people, Shinkai has been keen to explore natural disasters through his work.
When asked about his next project after Suzume, Shinkai mentioned that he isn't sure if his journey of trying to come to terms with disaster is complete.
It is entirely possible that disaster will be the central theme in his future project, too, though he's just as likely to move on to different topics.
In the aforementioned interview with Total Film, Shinkai mentioned:
"I'm at the moment unsure, and it'll probably take me a few more months before I kind of hone in my ideas on this blank slate of what kind of story I want to tell next."
Shinkai's works have been praised for their beautiful art and cathartic themes. If the next movie is similar, it'll likely be well-received.
That being said, some fans would like to see him working on something entirely new.
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When Can We Expect a New Makoto Shinkai Movie?
As of writing, there's no indication as to when Makoto Shinkai's next movie will be released, but we can speculate based on current patterns.
Since 2007 -- when 5 Centimeters per Second came out -- Makoto Shinkai has normally released a new full-length film every three years.
Before Suzume, which came out in Japan in 2022, there was Weathering With You (2019) which itself came after the beloved Your Name (2016).
Based on this information, we wouldn't be surprised if Makoto Shinkai's next movie came out in 2025.
Of course, this doesn't stop fans from theorizing further by analyzing existing films:
Assuming that Suzume contains hints of Makoto Shinkai's next film release is probably far-fetched given that a movie that is not in production is unlikely to have a release date.
However, it's an interesting theory, and, if the new CoMix Wave film takes a bit longer, 2026 would be a plausible timeline.
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