The Ballad of Tobio & Hannah

The Ballad of Tobio & Hannah is an upcoming American jukebox musical sports comedy directed and written by Gerry Tanaka from a story by Osamu Tezuka, it is a remake of the 1975 Carl Andy film Toby, in turn based on the Manga, The Ballad of Tobio, and stars Gerry's son Jake Tanaka and Sophia Lillis as the title couple, alongside Kurt Russell, James Gandolfini, Marisa Tomei, Abraham Attah and Mackenyu, the film follows Tobio Katsumoto, a street orphan turned Boxer and his romance with Italian-American foreign exchange student Hannah Cacaronie, in Tokyo during the mid 1960s.

the project was announced in November 2018 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (who owns the original 1975 film through United Artists) after securing the rights from Tezuka Productions (owner of the original Manga), Gerry Tanaka was announced as director in Fall of 2020 alongside his son Jake was cast in the male lead, casting continued until January and principal photography began in later that month under COVID-19 safe regulations, taking place in Los Angeles and Canada, Carl Andy, director of the original film was hired as creative consultant.

the film will be released on November 18, 2022 by United Artists Releasing through Orion Pictures.