Joseph Gordon-Levitt takes the lead in the U.S. cast for Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is making headlines this evening!

Right after a write-up on USA Today, Gordon-Levitt posted a photo of himself during the recording process for the English dub of Hayao Miyazaki‘s THE WIND RISES. The actor will voice Jiro Horikoshi, “a young Japanese boy in the early 20th century who dreams of flying with the birds and meeting Italian plane designer Giovanni Caproni (Stanley Tucci). Jiro can’t become a pilot due to his poor vision, but as he grows up he becomes an aeronautical engineer who designs the fighter planes that the Japanese would ultimately use during World War II — and has to deal with the emotional consequences of his role in the destruction.”

Sadly, this is Hayao Miyazaki‘s final film. Even though he’s mentioned retiring quite a few times, this time the man of many talents seems to be serious. He’s made many beautiful animated films like PRINCESS MONONOKE, THE CAT RETURNS, PONYO, SPIRITED AWAY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE, and HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE among many others. This film is a fitting final chapter if this is the one we close Miyazaki’s career on.

The American cast includes Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Martin Short, Stanley Tucci, Mandy Patinkin, William H. Macy, Mae Whitman, Jennifer Grey, Darren Criss, Elijah Wood, Ronan Farrow and Werner Herzog.

If you’d like to catch the original Japanese animated film which is gathering much acclaim, THE WIND RISES (Kaze Tachinu) is set for release on February 21, 2014.

Here’s the facebook post: