“The time to use the power, Stand, has finally come.”
While the American adaptation of Japan’s Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson, is due at the end of the month, Warner Brothers Japan and Toho Co., Ltd. have released a new poster and the first official teaser trailer for their upcoming live-action adaptation of the globally popular anime and manga series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most popular and influential manga series to ever come out of Japan and has a strong international fan base (the writer of this article included). Created by Hirohiko Araki, Jojo’s is one of the largest manga ever to be published for Weekly Shonen Jump, among the likes of such hits as One Piece, Naruto, and DragonBall. In 2012, animation studio David Production released the first anime series of the manga to wide acclaim.
For those unacquainted with the series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar bloodline through the generations as each member, whose names can each be shortened to the nickname “JoJo”, fights against outrageous dark forces such as vampires, serial killers, and enemy “stand” users. A stand is a personal ghost-like spirit that possesses strengths and abilities unique to its user. Each JoJo, their friends, and their enemies are such stand users.
The premiere live-action film, titled JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable Chapter 1, will be based on the fourth arc in the series, and follow the fourth “JoJo”, Josuke Higashikata, and his friends in the “crazy noisy bizarre” town of Morioh during the Summer of 1999.
Directed by Takashi Miike (13 Assassins), the film will star Kento Yamazaki as Josuke and Yusuke Iseya as Josuke’s biological nephew and the previous “JoJo”, Jotaro Kujo.
The film is set for release in Japan at the tail end of the “bizarre” summer season on August 4th. Neither Toho nor Warner Bros. have given word yet on any American distribution.
Check out the unbreakable trailer and poster below!