Writing in Sunday's New York Times, anime/manga maven Charles Solomon interviewed Earthsea author Ursula K. Le Guin, who said that the U.S. release of Goro Miyazaki's Tales From Earthsea could be delayed until 2009 'as long as the Sci-Fi Channel people sit on their rights, which they have until '09' (the Sci Fi Channel aired a live action Earthsea mini-series in 2004).  Directed by the 39-year-old son of famed anime auteur Hayao Miyazaki, Tales From Earthsea was the highest grossing film in Japan this past summer, earning $61.4 million. 

In spite of its apparent success, Goro Miyazaki has absorbed considerable criticism for his first film.  While successful, Tales From Earthsea's Japanese earnings are a far cry from the earnings of his father's films, and Ms. Le Guin has criticized changes that Goro Miyazaki made in adapting her narrative for the screen, objecting in particular to a scene in which the protagonist Arren stabs his father.

So when will Ameican audiences get a chance to see Tales From Earthsea?  It may not be until 2009 unless, in the words of Le Guin, the Sci Fi Channel decides 'to stop being a dog in the manger.'