The one other film sequel that’s been on the hopeful end of my mind has been a follow-up to the hit Warner Bros. Japan 2018 anime adaptation, Bleach, from director Shinsuke Sato, and not much has been said about any sequel prospects since the film landed in theaters and on Netflix that year.
That all changed with a few words by Sato to The Diva Velez in a republished interview at Screen Anarchy where the two sat down to discuss the director’s latest series, Alice In Borderland, which is currently streaming all eight episodes on Netflix and starring Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya.
At the tail end of the interview following mentions of the director’s thoughts on a second season of the series, as well as a second chapter to last year’s epic live-action Kingdom adaptation which also stars Yamazaki, The Diva Velez jokingly alludes to one other bit of sequel news in her inquiry, to which Sato replied with the following:
{Laughs} Probably BLEACH. {Laughs} Of course, that is what you first interviewed me for. We are talking about it, but of course, I have projects that I’m involved in that have to be done in order, but I am looking forward to it.
Based on Tite Kubo’s popular Weekly Shonen Jump publication which ran onward from 2001 to 2016, Sato’s Bleach sees actor Sota Fukushi transitioning the role of Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school student who finds himself caught in the middle of a battle between dimensions when he meets, and accidentally acquires the powers and abilities of a Soul Reaper, a warrior who defends wandering souls from Hollows – evil forces looking to consume them.
Kubo initially shot down adaptation hopes in 2008 prior to news of Warner Bros. instituting its own efforts in 2010, tapping Peter Segal (Get Smart) reportedly producing and possibly directing, and later adding Dan Mazeau (Wrath Of The Titans) to pen a script. Thankfully THAT film never happened as ultimately the rights landed right back home overseas and in Sato’s knowledgeable hands, handing Sato’s Bleach a Japan release on July 20, 2018, and a sold-out crowd for its U.S. premiere for Japan Cuts in New York City a week later, and the largely positive reviews its generated ever since.
The film makes the tinest, albeit tantalizing effort of teasing one other extra layer of the Bleach narrative in a very discrete shot of the Soul Society where our heroes gather for another mission that involves saving the life of a dear friend. It’s a mission that evidently sees Ichigo grow his own powers in the process, and considering the ample success on the 2018 film, guaranteed, Sato would be the right man to carry the mantle for part two.
While Sato mitigates efforts on Kingdom 2, the director is also reportedly working on an adaptation of Chinese period epic, The Water Margin, also for Netflix.
Check out my review of Bleach and stream the film now!
