Live-action Black Butler Movie Announced

01.10.2013 17:52

Black Butler manga: http://www.mangahere.com/manga/kuroshitsuji/

It was announced that popular manga Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) is getting a live-action movie adaptation. The project will be co-directed by NANA’s Kentaro Otani and Tiger & Bunny’s Keiichi Satou.

The movie will begin shooting in April and is slated to be released by mid-2013. It’s also reported that the movie will be set in 130 years later from the manga and follow a completely original story.

Black Butler is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. It has been serialized in Square Enix’s Monthly G Fantasy magazine since 2006. And it already inspired a TV anime series in 2008 and a stage play in 2009. The story revolves around a “flawless demon butler” character named Sebastian Michealis who personifies grace, knowledge, and physical perfection as he investigates dark and mysterious incidents.

The main protagonist, Sebastian Michaelis, will be played by popular Japanese actor Hiro Mizushima. Mizushima previously played another eminently capable butler inspired by a manga series, Mei-chan no Shitsuji.

According to producer Shinzo Matsuhashi, Mizushima was the only Japanese person right for the part and if he can’t comply, there wouldn’t be a movie. Finally after meeting with the actor several times, Mizushima accepted. It is also said that Yana Toboso, the author of the manga series, has received a lot of offers to adapt the manga into live-action but the consent was given only after she knew that Sebastian will be played by Mizushima Hiro.