Neon Acquires Hirokazu Kore-eda’s ‘Sheep in the Box’

It looks like Neon is already preparing for that seventh straight Palme d’Or. They already have new films by Arthur Harari, Cristian Mungiu, and Nicolas Winding Refn ready for the Croisette, and have just added another title to their 2026 sandbox — a film that will quite possibly be in Cannes competition next year.

According to Variety, the indie studio has reunited with Hirokazu Kore-eda for “Sheep in the Box,” acquiring the U.S. UK and Australian rights to the Japanese filmmaker’s latest film, which started production in September.

“Sheep in the Box,” starring Ayase Haruka and Daigo, is set in the near future, where a couple takes in a state-of-the-art humanoid into their home as their son. Ayase previously collaborated with Kore-eda on “Our Little Sister,” while Daigo — one of Japan’s most popular comedians — will be taking on his first leading role in a feature film.

Kore-eda has been working for nearly three decades, building a body of acclaimed work that includes “After Life,” “Still Walking,” “Like Father, Like Son,” and “After the Storm.” He truly broke through internationally in 2018 when “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or, and went on to gross $72M worldwide — a true “I told you so” moment for Kore-eda’s longtime fans, who had been championing his work ever since his 1995 breakthrough, “Maborosi.”