Guillermo del Toro denies attending Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has clarified that he will not attend the Crunchyroll Anime Future Forum, despite being included in the event's initial announcements. The filmmaker addressed the situation via social media, stating, “Not me. No voy” (Not me. I'm not going).

The forum is scheduled for October 7, 2026, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, occurring just before New York Comic Con. The event aims to discuss the multicultural future of the anime industry and features several high-profile executives, including Manabu Otsuka (CEO of MAPPA), Taichi Ueda (TOHO), Yuta Momiyama (Shueisha), and Atsuhiro Iwakami (Aniplex).

Del Toro's denial follows Crunchyroll's announcement that included several Hollywood figures, such as James Gunn and the directors of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The discrepancy between the official announcement and the director's statement has led to speculation regarding whether the inclusion was an error or if a formal invitation was never extended.