Ichigo’s taking his act from the afterlife to real life! Kind of!
Earlier today, news site Yaraon! revealed that this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump (Volume 38) revealed that Tite Kubo’s Bleach will receive a live-action film adaptation. The feature is currently slated for a 2018 première in Japanese theaters.
Last week, Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump ran a double issue, containing Volumes 36 and 37. In addition to the climactic penultimate chapters, the book teased a big reveal for this week’s issue.
Bleach first kicked off in the pages of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump on August 20, 2001. The series currently spans 509 and 16 collected volumes. The next compilation is slated to hit retailers on November 1.
Bleach received an anime adaptation, which hit Japanese TV in January 2002, and ran through 2012. The 366-episode series was helmed by Noriyuki Abe (Black Butler: Book of Circus, Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files) at Studio Pierrot, with Masashi Kudo (Hayate the Combat Butler! OVA 2, MAOYU) providing character designs. The team of Kento Shimoyama, Masashi Sogo, and Tsuyoshi Kida (Episodes 230 – 265) took charge of series composition.
Viz Media currently holds the rights to the Bleach anime and manga properties. They describe the series as:
For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, he finds his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling: to protect the living and the dead from evil. And when he vows to defend Rukia from the ruthless justice of the Soul Society, he and his friends must cross over and do battle in the spirit world…
Source: Yaraon! (Thanks to L.B. Bryant & Daniel Zelter for the tip!)
