‘TOTORO’ TEASE
A new trailer has dropped for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed stage adaptation of “My Neighbor Totoro,” offering a rare glimpse of the beloved forest spirit himself. Executive producer Joe Hisaishi, in collaboration with RSC, Nippon TV, and Improbable, unveiled the footage showcasing the show’s award-winning puppetry.
Adapted by Tom Morton-Smith and directed by Phelim McDermott, the production is based on Miyazaki Hayao‘s 1988 Studio Ghibli classic. Since premiering at London’s Barbican in 2022, “My Neighbor Totoro” has earned six Olivier Awards and five WhatsOnStage Awards. Following a return engagement in 2023, it now plays at London’s Gillian Lynne Theatre through March 2026.
The show features live orchestration of Hisaishi’s iconic score and artwork by Studio Ghibli’s Toshio Suzuki. It stars Victoria Chen as Mei and Ami Okumura Jones as Satsuki, supported by a diverse cast and a 20-member puppetry ensemble.
FORMAT FRENZY
BAFTA winners and Monkey founders Will Macdonald and David Granger have launched a new production company, Idle Industries, focused on high-end unscripted formats for U.K. and global markets. BBC Studios has come aboard with a first-look distribution deal.
The duo previously launched Monkey in 2000, growing it into one of the U.K.’s top production companies before it was acquired by NBCUniversal. Monkey produced over 120 titles and earned more than 100 award nominations, including multiple wins at the BAFTAs, RTS, Rose d’Or and International Emmys.
Their credits include “Made in Chelsea,” “Don’t Hate the Playaz,” “The Charlotte Church Show,” “Generation Drag,” “Know Your SH!t,” “The Emily Atack Show,” “Elton John: Me, Myself & I,” “Young, Dumb & Living Off Mum,” “The Question Jury,” “Make My Day,” “Swag,” “The House of Obsessive Compulsives,” “Newlyweds: The First Year,” “Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush,” and “TFI Friday.”
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Seoul-based format agency Something Special has signed two format option deals with Studio TF1’s Flanagan Productions for Korean hits “Still Alive” and “The Penthouse Game.” Created by Channel A, both series offer spins on the competition genre.
“Still Alive,” a spooky game show blending comedy and suspense, marks its 14th international option, following pickups in Germany, Italy, and the Nordics. Financial survival series “The Penthouse Game” pits contestants in a battle for resources and power.
Something Special’s Jin Woo Hwang and InSoon Kim praised the ongoing TF1 partnership, while Flanagan’s Florence Boudaud lauded the formats’ “unique mechanics and creative ambition.”
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