The Promised Neverland Live Action Film Cast & Staff Comments

Original Author - Kaiu Shirai:

They are the best Isabella and Krone! I'm really happy! Kitagawa already exudes the aura of a Mom on set. So beautiful! So cool! So imposing! I wanna watch it more! (Please refer to the photo to know what I'm talking about). Doesn't Isabella's hair look neat? Isn't it the best? The contrast of that gentle smile and freezing cold gaze is amazing! I witnessed it on one of the scenes where Connie acted, she was trembling in fear because of that. I want everyone to shake and be scared, seeing the way Mom moves on screen. I wasn't able to get a chance to meet Watanabe (Krone's actress) yet but according to Sugita, the editor of TPN had been watching the movie closely while it was being made said that "Watanabe is perfect, Watanabe is perfect for Krone!" I'm really looking forward to it! Following Emma and the others, comes Isabella and Krone. This is the only live-action film in Japan for TPN, there is nothing like this and the cast are very special to me. Everyone, let's look forward to the movie together!

Original Artist - Posuka Demizu:

Such a wonderful cast! Thank you very much! During the shooting as I watched, the way Kitagawa's voice resounded in the dark and quiet house was very impressive! When she called out Emma's name with such tenderness and sinew, and also how she moved her hand was unreal, almost comic-like (I heard she read TPN thoroughly to be able to do this)! Isabella and Kitagawa-san's smile filled with affection and a little coldness in the back of their gentle eyes, there's really a thin line between them. Even at the back of the camera her eyes look expressive and big! In the manga, I exaggerated Krone's eyes so that it looks bigger than the children's for scarier effect. Watanabe really gets it! Her portayal of Krone is on point! Krone is undoubtedly one of the smartest characters and yet she also has a lot of gag moments. Watanabe's expressions are exactly the same as Krone! Each one of them are simply the best! Looking at all of the cast, I can see the worldview I helped build. It's like deja-vu happening right in front of me. It's surreal looking at my once illusions come to life, this is indeed a valuable experience.

Isabella - Keiko Kitagawa:

I read the manga after receiving the offer and I found it very interesting. I was drawn into the manga's worldview. I was particularly attracted to Isabella, who is very young, and this is the first such funny manga! I read a lot with much excitement. However, I couldn't decide easily whether to accept the offer of this role, so I thought about it. There are also many original fans, and when I received the offer, I felt that it would be difficult for me. Any actor understands the difficulty of visualizing the original work. It's not impossible to make this live-action worldview of The Promised Neverland without impairing the quality of manga. So I thought some more and in the end, I was able to take the plunge to work with Director Hirakawa with the desire to step on the scene again and promise that I won't change any of the original settings including Isabella's age setting and character. I play the role of Isabella, a mother who is full of compassion for her children, but also a realist who has a dark shadow in her upbringing and sometimes judges things too severely. I acted as if both faces were real faces of Isabella. Isabella's charm is the beauty and sadness that combine the love of wanting children living in the house to spend a happy time...Until now, I had always had the fixed concept of having to copy the manga original live-action, but when I saw the children spending time at the scene, you could see the originality. It was good to break the concept in a good sense if it could be. The way the upper children take care of the lower children, and help each other, was exactly what Isabella's goal was for the house itself. Watanabe, who plays Krone, has been around for a very long time, and it was a very fun seeing her because I was often in variety. Watanabe's role was desperate to enjoy laughing while playing with the manga and anime Krone herself. The children were very happy when Watanabe came, and I was saved by being a mood maker on set. I guess there was a conflict with [Minami] Hamabe playing a role far from her real age this time, but I would like you to see this Emma full of originality with a cool, urban, calm atmosphere that only Hamabe can play. I think that communication was difficult because of the age of other children, but I think that Hamabe who was able to play hard was very good. There is still time until the movie release in December, but please look forward to it!

Krone - Naomi Watanabe:

This is Naomi Watanabe who portrays Krone. We tried our best consulting with the director so that we could express that expression and emotion richly in the live action. Although, the kids became very shy around the larger-than-life Krone (laughs). The original work is a loved work that draws in more and more in the story where shocking developments continue despite having cute moments. I want to be an obstacle to the kids alongside Isabella. Please stay tuned for my role as Krone!

Emma - Minami Hamabe:

While reading the original work, Isabella and Krone were often terrifying. When I heard that Kitagawa and Watanabe had been decided, I thought that there were no better people. Seeing Kitagawa work was always exciting and thrilling, and Watanabe's scene was sometimes difficult to suppress laughter on set...I can't wait to complete the movie as soon as possible!

Director - Yuichiro Hirakawa:

It's been 13 years since I've worked with Kitagawa and I can say she has matured even more as an actress and is even more radiant. With the strength and kindness of a mother who raises nearly 30 children alone, I am grateful for her role as the most loving role of Isabella, a child-loving mother. I worked for the first time with Naomi, but I understood that she was a representative entertainer in Japan, so on the spot I asked for a number of ad-lib scenes and got answered with a sadness full of humanity of a woman named Krone. She added a warm color to the movie worldview. I hope you can see it on the big screen!

Producer - Ken Murase:

There isn't much to say about the casting! The strength, the beauty, the tenderness, and the fearful aura, Isabella was inconceivable in all those aspects but Keiko Kitagawa managed to bring them out to life. Isn't this the best casting that the fans can conceive? And Krone. There is no other person who can play such an unsual character, the peculiarity and the unique appearance and gestures. I still feel terrified even if I try deny it. Be sure to look forward to the live-action versions of Isabella and Krone, they do not only portray the original characters well but they also added some layer of human value to them.