Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya will be the next classic anime franchise to get a live-action remake, which will star Game of Throne's Sean Bean and X-Men's Famke Janssen, among others.
The live-action movie's cast was revealed by The Hollywood Reporter. Japanese-American actor Mackenyu will play the lead role of Seiya, a young man who eventually becomes the leader of the series' titular Knights of the Zodiac. Mackenyu is the son of the legendary Japanese martial artist and actor Sonny Chiba, who recently passed away due to complications related to a COVID-19 infection. Western audiences may be most familiar with him from his supporting role in Pacific Rim: Uprising, while manga fans may recognize the actor from his starring roles in the Japanese live-action adaptations of Chihayafuru and Tokyo Ghoul. Sean Bean will play Seiya's mentor, Alman Kiddo, while Jumanji: The Next Level actor Madison Iseman will play the role of Sienna, who is apparently the movie's equivalent of the original series' Saori, a reincarnated goddess who the other knights must protect. Diego Tinoco will play the anti-hero Phoenix. Famke Janssen, The Thin Red Line's Nich Stahl, and professional martial artist and Iron Chef host Mark Dacascos will also appear in the movie in as-yet unspecified roles.
The new reboot is directed by Polish animator and special effects expert Tomasz Baginski, who previously worked on The Witcher. The most recent drafts of the film's script were written by 10 Cloverfield Lane's Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. The movie will feature fight choreography from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' stunt and fight coordinator, Andy Cheng.
The movie is being described as an origin story for Seiya and the series' team of armor-clad warriors. The original manga was created by Masami Kurumada in 1986 and is widely regarded as one of the most influential shonen series of all time. Kurumada's original story is also one of the highest selling manga of all time, with over 35 million copies in circulation worldwide. The series has been adapted into animation several times, and has also received several sequel and spinoff manga series.
The new movie is being produced as a collaboration between Sony Pictures and Toei, the company which also produced many of Saint Seiya's anime adaptations. The film is expected to release sometime in 2022.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
