Takashi Miike directing live-action “Nintama Rantaro”
Posted by Kevin Ouellette on April 24, 2010 3:32am EDT (2 years ago)
Filed under: Comedy, Fantasy, Manga/Anime/Light Novels, Future releases, Cast updates, Movie announcements
Earlier today it was announced that the NHK anime series “Nintama Rantaro” will be made into a live-action film directed by Takashi Miike. Miike of course has recent experience adapting a childrens’ anime series after having directed the live-action adaptation of Yatterman least year. Yatterman was a pretty big success at the box office due to its cross-generational appeal, so it makes sense for Miike to be hired for a similar project.
Popular 8-year-old actor Seishiro Kato has been cast in the lead role. Kato has appeared in a ton of TV dramas in a career spanning pretty much his entire life, but his stock rose a little higher last year when he appeared in the kid manager series of Toyota ads and the NHK drama “Tenchijin”.
The anime, which is based on Soubee Amako’s “Rakudai Ninja Rantaro” manga series, revolves around young boy named Rantaro who’s born into a ninja family in Sengoku period Japan. In order to become an elite ninja, he’s sent to a ninjutsu school where he and his fellow first-graders are referred to as “Nintama”, short for Ninja Tamago (egg).
The television series premiered in 1993 and an animated movie was released in 1996. Although the main characters are first-graders and drawn in a cartoonish style, the older kids are depicted in “ikemen” (handsome/cool) style, making the series particularly popular with women of all ages.
So, for those keeping track, this adds yet another film to Miike’s busy schedule which already includes the remake of Thirteen Assassins which Toho will be releasing on September 25th, the big-budget live-action adaptation of Takeru, and a yet-unannounced film project for Nikkatsu’s Sushi Typhoon. No release date has been decided for “Nintama Rantaro”.
Source: Sponichi Annex via Anime News Network
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