NEON to Release Koreeda’s AI Drama ‘Sheep in the Box’ in July

NEON confirmed today that Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest film, “Sheep in the Box,” is set to be released on July 24, 2026, in New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.

The film, which had its world premiere in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, marks the Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker’s latest dive into artificial intelligence without abandoning his uniquely humanist storytelling style.

In “Sheep in the Box,” Otone and her husband, Kensuke, are grieving the loss of their son, Kakeru. Two years after his death, they take in a humanoid provided by a company that rents out such robots to bereaved families as surrogate companions for their deceased loved ones. The humanoid looks and acts identically to Kakeru, leading to an immediate embrace of its presence by Otone and a rejection by Kensuke.

Their life with the humanoid seems to be going smoothly, yet it slowly begins to reveal each parent’s hidden traumas and lingering regret over their child’s death. Meanwhile, the humanoid starts visiting other humanoid children without their knowledge.

Starring Haruka Ayase, Daigo, and Rimu Kuwaki with Kaoru Matsuzaki and Megumi Ban producing, “Sheep in the Box” is a Gaga and Toho co-production.

NEON’s previous partnership with Koreeda resulted in “Broker,” starring Song Kang-ho of “Parasite.” Koreeda is internationally best known for “Shoplifters” (winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival) and “Nobody Knows.”