The anime world is notorious for its iffy live-action adaptations, like the Ghost in the Shell film starring Scarlett Johansson and massive bombs like Dragonball Evolution. Some anime, however, are surprisingly suited for live-action -- with the proper lead, of course.
The fourth story arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure already has its own live-action adaptation. It featured Josuke Higashikata and his friends, but there's a certain British actor could mirror that with a stellar performance as Jonathan Joestar, the Victorian-era vampire slayer. A live-action adaptation of the Phantom Blood arc with Henry Cavill at the fore could bring Hirohiko Araki's world to life with ease.
Henry Cavill As Jonathan Joestar
The story of Phantom Blood is set in Victorian England, a setting one Henry Cavill recently explored in the recent Enola Holmes, playing a more charismatic version of Sherlock Holmes. Cavill is brains and brawn in that incarnation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famed character and has the classic British gentleman look that both Sherlock and Jonathan Joestar call for, with a beefier edge. If he can fit seamlessly into the world of Enola Holmes, he could do the same in a live-action version of Phantom Blood, complete with the gentleman's clothes, accent, and anything else the role calls for -- after all, he's done it already. And given Cavill's physically demanding roles as Superman in the DCEU and Geralt in The Witcher, he could definitely handle the rigors of JoJo's action scenes, too. This is the pre-Stand story arc, where life energy known as Hamon can be infused into punches to slay the undead. It's not a far cry from Clark Kent at all -- in fact, it might be easier, depending on the number of special effects used.
Jonathan Joestar's England... a Familiar Setting
A live-action take of Phantom Blood would enjoy a vital advantage: the setting. Victorian England captured the imagination of the masses even in its own time, and by now, audiences around the world are enchanted by this misty, rustic world and, thanks to Enola Holmes (and his own heritage), fans should have no problem picturing Henry Cavill in it. Victorian England is that rare, mutable sort of setting that can be as grounded or fantastic as you want it to be, going from the realism of a Holmes story to the stylized action of Phantom Blood. Like American Western movies, stories set in Victorian England have already won half the battle just on the merit of their premises. It's a big draw, right out of the gate.
That mutability makes it the perfect playground for the impossibly buff Jonathan Joestar, someone beefier than the Victorian Age was ever ready for. From his dark hair to muscles that test the strength of his suit's seams with every movement, everything about Jonathan's appearance screams Henry Cavill. In fact, his performance as Sherlock Holmes is all the insight one needs to see how well this casting choice would pan out. A world in which Henry Cavill steals the scene as Jonathon Joestar in a blockbuster, Certified Fresh adaptation of Phantom Blood is one all of us surely want to live in but, for now, at least fans can take heart in the fact that Cavill's Sherlock is basically Jonathan Joestar already, minus the Hamon-powered fists.
