The upcoming adaptation of the popular manga and anime franchise will film in Europe and Japan, and updates its cast list.
Warner Bros has revealed the adaptation of the classic manga series penned by Hiromu Arakawa will begin filming in June for a release end of next year.
The filming locations are Italy for the month of June and a second round of shooting in Japan at the end of August.
The cast for Full Metal Alchemist includes Ryosuke Yamada (member of boy band Hey! Say! JUMP) as protagonist Edward Elric, Tsubasa Honda (Kishūteneki Terminal) as sidekick Winry Rockbell, and Dean Fujioka (The Pinkertons) as Elric’s superior officer, Colonel Roy Mustang.
Other actors confirmed for the film are Natsuna Watanabe as Maria Ross, Jun Kunimura as Doctor Marco, Kanata Hongou as Envy, and Kenjiro Ishimaru as Father Cornello.
Full Metal Alchemist will be based on the manga directly rather than follow any of the anime series, and will be directed by Fumihiko Sori of Ping Pong and the animated film Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker.
Says Sori: “I want to create a style that follows the original manga as much as possible. The cast is entirely Japanese, but the cultural background is Europe. However, it’s a style that doesn’t represent a specific race or country.”
He also said that while he was unable to talk about how Edward’s fully metal brother, Alphonse, will be depicted in the film, he is confident that fans would be satisfied with the portrayal. There is currently no casting information for Alphonse.
