The original film opened in Japan in August 2016, and has become the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Japan, the second highest-grossing Japanese film, and the second highest-grossing anime film.
Heisserer acknowledged that working on the adaptation within the specifications of the Japanese rights holders is difficult, but said that he loves the original film.
In the interview, which was posted on Friday, Heisserer said that the Japanese rights holders requested a Westernized take on the source material.
“They stated if they wanted a Japanese live-action version, they would just do it themselves,” he said.