While some thought that The Boy and the Heron would be Hayao Miyazaki's last film, that no longer seems to be the case. The Studio Ghibli icon may have also revealed his next project.

A sequel? 

Studio Ghibli logo and The Boy and the Heron poster with money and movie theater background.

Thanks to eagle-eyed fans, clues may have been given out for Miyazaki's next venture. In a broadcast of the documentary, Professionals: The Style of Work: Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki's 2399 Days, he is seen painting a picture.

The titular character from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is shown. At this point, he says “It's painful to return to this world.”

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While Miyazaki could just be making a manga follow-up to the film or working on something else, could he be making a sequel to the 1984 film? Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a 1984 film adaptation of Miyazaki's 1982 manga of the same name. It was released before Studio Ghibli was created and released via the Toei Company.

This was also Miyazaki's second feature film. First, he wrote and directed The Castle of Cagliostro in 1984. But after Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Studio Ghibli was formed and would kickstart Miyazaki's career.

Beginning with Castle in the Sky, Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli released several animated classics. These include My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises.

This year, after a decade, Miyazaki released another film, The Boy and the Heron. It follows a young boy after the death of his mother who encounters a talking heron and a fantastical world.

The Wind Rises was initially thought of as Miyazaki's swan song. Then, Studio Ghibli fans figured it was The Boy and the Heron. But it now appears that Miyazaki is still going to make films, and perhaps a long-awaited sequel to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is on deck.