This is not the first time Paprika has been slated for a live-action release. More than a decade ago, Wolfgang Petersen was attached to direct the feature. However (and obviously), it never got past production.
Paprika Live-Action: The Story that Started It All
Tsutsui first debited the novel in 1993. The story inspired an anime film by the late Satoshi Kon in 2006. It was his last feature-length project before his death in 2010.
Overall, the story is described as a character-driven sci-fi series with a mind-bending narrative. The story of Paprika involves Dr. Atsuko Chiba (who uses the alter ego Paprika), who begins experimenting with dream therapy. Chiba and her research partner Tokita develop a machine that allows them to not only view the dreams of others but experience them firsthand. When their dream walking machine is stolen, the two have to figure out how to track him down in the real world while dealing with the repercussions of their dreams.
In order to condense the story into a 90-minute film, it is known that Kon focused on how the two main characters changed between their dream and real selves. Though it differs from the deeply fleshed-out novel, many still refer to the Paprika movie as one of the best and a modern classic in the anime world. On top of Kon’s adaptation, there are two separate manga versions of the story. It is also known that the Paprika movie has many similarities to the 2010 Christopher Nolan film, Inception (though the director has not admitted it himself).
As of now, there is no release date or release timeline for the upcoming Paprika live-action series. There is also not a cast list for the show either.
