As reported by Variety, infamous Japanese shock-horror auteur Takeshi Miike will direct the first-ever live-action film based on the long-running manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Actor Kento Yamazaki has been cast in the coveted lead role as the hero, Josuke Higashikata, with the film targeting a summer 2017 release date in Japan. No plans have yet been revealed about an international release, though Warner Bros.’ previous co-producing ventures in Japan have typically yielded a limited U.S. release for similar manga-related ventures (the studio backed the live-action Cutie Honey movie in 2004.)
Miike’s film will be based on the fourth part of the storyline, “Diamond Is Unbreakable.” Set in 1999, the original version of the story followed an illegitimate heir to the Joestar lineage on a quest to prevent a magical bow and arrow from falling into the hands of an evil organization and ultimately involved multiple revelations about the various recurring characters and a subplot about a serial killer. The manga is famous for its highly-stylized action, which involves use of onomatopoeia and elaborate character-poses referred to as “Jojo-dachi” by fans, among whom attempting to imitate these poses is a popular pastime.
At one point best known for directing a shockingly prolific number (often releasing 2-3 films a year) of ultra-violent, surrealistically-stylized features in the horror, martial-arts and yakuza gangster genres; the last decade has found Miike experimenting with more family-friendly fare often grounded in Japanese popular culture: Along with the children’s adventure film The Great Yokai War and the superhero spoof Zebraman, he gained international notice for the live-action anime hit Yatterman and the feature adaptation of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney video games.
Source: Variety
