Square Enix appears to be transmuting a new Fullmetal Alchemist movie.
The publisher opened up a new website that features a countdown timer and an image that appears to show a live-action rendition of the anti-State Alchemist serial killer Scar, whose distinctive X-shaped facial scar and arm tattoos can be seen. The timer is set to end on March 2. According to Square Enix, the site and whatever project it is teasing are part of the still on-going celebration surrounding the 20th anniversary of Fullmetal Alchemist's original publication, which occurred in July of 2021. The teaser image of Scar has also been seen on posters displayed at Japanese theaters.
If this teased project is indeed a live-action release, it could be a sequel to the franchise's original live-action adaptation, which was released in 2017. The movie was directed by Fumihiko Sori (Ping Pong) and was released internationally in 2018 as a Netflix streaming exclusive.
The new project will be the latest in a series of new releases tied to FMA's big anniversary. Square Enix previously announced a brand new mobile game for iOS and Android devices that is scheduled to be released sometime this summer. The manga's original creator, Hiromu Arakawa, marked the anniversary of the debut of her biggest hit by revealing her latest manga, Yomi No Tsugai (roughly translated as "The Underworld's Turn"), which began its serialization in Square Enix's Shonen Gangan magazine last December. An English release for Arakawa's new series has yet to be announced.
Fullmetal Alchemist was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed manga series of the early 2000s. The story focuses on two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who both possess an unusual aptitude for alchemy, the art of transforming one object into another. After an attempt to use their skills to resurrect their beloved mother goes horribly wrong, the two brothers decide to become State Alchemists. While officially under the employ of the government, the brothers use their resources to try to find the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary artifact that will allow them to undo the damage they caused.
The series received two separate anime adaptations: the original series premiered in 2003, and while it was a huge commercial success, the original adaptation's story wildly diverges from the source material and concludes with a completely original and somewhat divisive ending. A second anime, entitled Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, was produced in 2009. The second series was a much more faithful rendition of the manga and received a more positive critical reception.
Source: vengeance-scar.jp
