Variety has reported the announcement of a Kiki’s Delivery Service live-action series. This adaptation of Eiko Kadono‘s novel series, which inspired a 1989 Studio Ghibli anime movie directed by Hayao Miyazaki-directed and a 2014 Japanese live-action movie, comes from BBC Studios Kids & Family, European production studio Wheel in Motion, and KADOKAWA.
Per Variety, the live-action series as it is currently envisioned will be based “primarily” on the first Kiki’s Delivery Service volume, with 10 episodes of 30 minutes’ length and writing by The Boxtrolls and The Little Prince‘s Irena Brignull. Brignull said in a statement, “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. Embodying the magic that exists in re-invention 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.”
The first Kiki’s Delivery Service book debuted in 1985. Five more main volumes followed, with Volume 6 of the series arriving in 2009, as well as three “Special Editions” with more stories. A new English translation of the first volume was published by Delacorte Press in 2020 with the following synopsis:
Half-witch Kiki never runs from a challenge. So when her thirteenth birthday arrives, she’s eager to follow a witch’s tradition: choose a new town to call home for one year.
Brimming with confidence, Kiki flies to the seaside village of Koriko and expects that her powers will easily bring happiness to the townspeople. But gaining the trust of the locals is trickier than she expected. With her faithful, wise-cracking black cat, Jiji, by her side, Kiki forges new friendships and builds her inner strength, ultimately realizing that magic can be found in even the most ordinary places.
Blending fantasy with the charm of everyday life, this enchanting new translation will inspire both new readers and dedicated fans.
Last year, which marked the book series’ 40th anniversary, saw publisher Fukuinkan refreshing the covers for the six main Kiki’s Delivery Service volumes. It also released a limited-time edition of the first volume that came with a cover drawn by Spy x Family‘s Tatsuya Endo.
Delacorte Press is set to publish the second volume of the series, Kiki and the New Magic, in English beginning on August 25, 2026. Like the first volume,
In a few days time, the Kiki’s Delivery Service anime film will return to Japanese screens starting June 19 in IMAX.
Source: Variety
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