Takeshi Miike, one of the most recognizable Japanese film maker who often goes for shock value is set to direct live action adaptation of Blade of the Immortal.
His body of work includes famous titles such as Ichi the Killer, Salaryman Kintaro, MPD Psycho, Crows Zero, Mogura no Uta, Kami-sama no lu Toori and TerraFormars. Now, he is turning his guns towards a manga series made famous by Hiroaki Samura.
The 2017 release movie will see SMAP’s Takuya Kimura (Howl’s Moving Castle, live-action Space Battleship Yamato) starring as the main character, Manji, a kensai (sword saint) who is cursed with an immortality touch and has to kill 1000 evil people in order to be released from this bondage. This marks the return of the actor after Yoji Yamada’s Love and Honor (2006), the final title in Samurai Trilogy.
Blade of the Immortal saw a mediocre anime adaptation by Studio Bee Train in 2008 and ran for 31 volumes of manga tankubon (1993-2012).
