Clamp's xxxHOLiC is coming back as a new live-action movie.
As reported by Comic Natalie, the new film was announced on Nov. 20 by Japanese movie studios Shochiku and Asmik Ace. The first image for the movie shows its two leads, Ryunosuke Kamiki and Ko Shibasaki, in full costume as the xxxHOLiC's protagonists, Kimihiro Watanuki and Yuko Ichihara respectively. Kamiki is a popular Japanese actor who previously appeared in the live-action adaptations of March Comes in Like A Lion and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, but anime fans may know him best for providing the voice of Your Name's male lead, Taki. Shibasaki has also worked as both a live-action actor and as an anime voice actor; in addition to appearing in the live-action reimaginings of Dororo and Black Jack, she has performed in one of the Detective Conan anime movies and 2021's Child of Kamiari Month.
The movie will be directed by Mika Ninagawa, who previously directed the Netflix original series, Followers. The movie's script will be written by Erika Yoshida, who previously worked on Lupin the Third: Part IV and the animated manhua adaptation Tower of God. The film is scheduled to premiere in Japan on April 29. An international release for the movie has not yet been announced.
xxxHOLiC was originally a manga series created by Clamp, a collective of all-female manga artists who are also known for creating the popular magical girl anime Cardcaptor Sakura and the crossover fantasy series Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. The story published its first chapter in 2003 and was one of the most popular manga titles of the early 2000s, with The New York Times listing it as the sixth best-selling manga of 2009. The series tells the story of Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student who has been cursed with the ability to see ghosts and other spirits. Kimihiro seeks out the assistance of a witch, Yuko Ichihara, who agrees to relieve of him of his supernatural vision, provided he works for her as an assistant in her wish granting business. xxxHOLiC received widespread acclaim for its stylized art, the episodic nature of its storytelling, and its melancholic themes.
The series was adapted into an anime by Ghost in the Shell studio Production IG in 2006. The new movie will be the third live-action adaptation of Clamp's manga: the first, an 8 episode miniseries, was broadcast in 2012. An all-male stage adaptation was also produced, which premiered in Japan earlier this year.
Source: Comic Natalie
