With any luck, next year might bode more fortunately for the theatrical experience in the wake of this mortifying pandemic around the world, which, to our delight, hasn’t gotten too much in the way of the creative process for some.
Unlike most multi-part films that average up to a year between installments, moviegoers will wait just 3 weeks between Part 1 & 2. “Attack on Titan” Part 1 hits theaters beginning September 30 with Part 2 arriving in theaters beginning October 20.
Having picked up a lot of steam since then, director Higuchi Shinji‘s latest live-action endeavor, Attack On Titan is preparing to be one of the biggest movies of 2015, and quite possibly even bigger than Godzilla; News from from Japanese media suggests Higuchi’s live-action take on the gargantuan foes will tower at 120 meters (roughly 393 feet) tall – twice taller than those in the manga and 1/10th taller than the King of all monsters himself, incidentally adding more fuel to the debate among fans over who would beat who in a crossover film.
It’s all exciting, yes, and perhaps one day if Toho has the budget and is feeling inventive enough, we’ll get to see what that looks like. Meanwhile, Attack On Titan is gearing up for a two-part release starting on August 9, 2015 with a date to be announced the following September. As such, Toho Company Ltd. got things off to a wicked start last month showcasing a blitz of new character posters detailing the cast line-up of characters for director Higuchi‘s newest cinematic endeavor. And now, the studio is continuing its campaign rolling out a new teaser poster which it will display in Japanese theaters beginning next weekend. Check it out below!
SYNOPSIS:
The sudden arrival of the Titans—mysterious, gigantic humanoid creatures who devour human beings one after the other—brings mankind to the brink of extinction. Fast-forward more than 100 years later. What remains of the human population now live in relative peace behind massive walls that were erected to defend themselves against the Titans. Yet once again, that peace is shattered when a Titan measuring over 50 meters tall smashes through the wall, allowing a horde of other Titans to enter. The protagonist, Eren, had been resigned to a life confined behind these walls. Nothing I do would make a difference, he thought. But when he joins the “Outer Wall Restoration Team” set up to fight against the Titans, he is reunited with Mikasa, a childhood friend and someone he had long rued not being able to save. The new recruits embark on a mission to obtain explosives, which had become rare and precious, before getting past the waves of Titans to plug the gaping hole in the wall, with humanity’s survival on the line. Will there be a future for Eren and Mikasa, and for mankind itself?
Attack On Titan stars Miura Haruma as Eren Jaeger, Mizuhara Kiko as Mikasa, Kanata Hongo as Armin, Miura Takahiro as Jean, Sakuraba Nanami as Sasha and Ishihara Satomi as Hans/Hanji, with Hasegawa Hiroki as Shikishima, Matsuo Satoru as Sannagi, Pierre Taki as Souda, Kunimura Jun as Kubal, Watanabe Shu as Fukushi, Misaki Ayame as Hiana and Takeda Rina as Lil. The film follows the earlier success of its recent anime series following its 2009 manga publication of the same name by author Isayama Hajime who also wrote the script with film critic Machiyama Tomohiro.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of The Gods and Gatchaman scribe Watanabe Yuusuke, and Sato Yoshihiro are producing.
Stay tuned for more info.
H/T: Eigapedia
One of the most phenomenal manga and novel properties to come to life in the last several years has been the work of author Hajime Isayama whose 2009 publication, Shingeki no Kyojin – otherwise known as its more commercialized international title, Attack On Titan, has become a highly popular franchise among genre fans of Japanese entertainment. And on the heels of its hugely successful launch on television through anime last year, Attack On Titan was officially announced in December of 2013 to get feature-length live action treatment by way of Toho, with Yuusuke Watanabe providing the script under director Shinji Higuchi.
This week, there are two new important pieces of information involving the live action film, and the anime: Actor Haruma Miura (pictured above) has been officially added to the film, which centers around the character Eren Jaeger who sets out to join a team of legionaires to hunt down giant human-consuming monsters in order to protect what is left of mankind after the death of his mother, altough it has not been confirmed which of the three main characters he will play; Miura will be part of the TBA cast and crew filming undetermined portions of the movie on the deserted island of Hashima (also known as Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island – located off the coast of Nagasaki) to illustrate the world’s only walled-in city protecting what is left of the human race.
Attack On Titan is slated for a 2015 release, which will also add more to the fanfare surrounding the televisied anime which is now being reported to get two full-length movies recompiled from the animated series, with new dubbing and a 5.1 remastering, and will feature voice actors reprising their roles from the animated series. The first film, titled Attack On Titan: Crimson Bow And Arrow, will cover episodes 1 through 13 and will release this winter, with the second, Attack On Titan: Wings Of Freedom, spanning episodes 14 through 25 and releasing in 2015, both directed by series helmer Tetsuro Araki.
I personally haven’t had the chance to watch the series, but its subsequent success since 2009 seems very telling, so it’s no wonder why the creators are taking this phenomenon to new heights. And as often skeptical as people are with live-action transitions are with certain titles, with Isayama overseeing production on Higuchi‘s new film, there is reason to be optimistic, at best. Meanwhile, Funimation will be releasing season 1 on Blu-Ray on June 23, 2014.
Stay tuned for more news on Attack On Titan!
H/T: Orends Range