Production Halted On Satoshi Kon's DREAMING MACHINE

The already tumultuous production history of Satoshi Kon's final film, The Dreaming Machine (Yume-Miru Kikai) has just become even rockier with word that animation studio Madhouse have very quietly put the production on hold due to financial issues.

The final work by the brilliant director of Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress, production on The Dreaming Machine began with Kon already aware that he was terminally ill and very likely would not survive to see the project through to completion. His one request was that the studio would see the work through until the end. And it appeared that was the case with character designer Yoshimi Itazu taking over the directing role - based on the detailed instructions left behind by Kon - in November of 2010 following Kon's passing from cancer.

But Madhouse founder Masao Maruyama recently acknowledged at Otakon that, due to financial pressures at Madhouse, production on the film has been halted with only six hundred of the fifteen hundred total shots from the picture completed. Maruyama says he remains committed to finishing the picture but, clearly, a major influx of cash is needed if they have had to shut it down less than half way through.