Yesterday the Hollywood Reporter posted an announcement from the film studio Warner Brothers that it has begun talks of creating a live-action adaptation of the supernatural action Japanese manga series Bleach, written and drawn by artist Tite Kubo. The studio has begun the process of securing the rights to the film, and director Peter Segal (Get Smart, The Longest Yard) is preparing the produce the film. North American manga publisher VIZ Media would also produce the film, along with Michael Ewing. The manga was originally serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump and is currently being released in North America by VIZ Media.
The Manga Bleach and Creator Tite Kubo
The story of the manga Bleach follows 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, a boy who is able to see ghosts and sometimes helps them to pass into the afterlife. After a circumstance with soul reaper Rukia, Ichico gains the powers of a shinigame, or god of death. He must now use his powers to fight against Hollows, evil spirits who would attack humans.
The manga was first published in 2001 in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, with the first full volume of the manga being published in 2002. The manga has been released in the United States since 2004 by VIZ Media, LLC under their Shonen Jump manga imprint. An anime adaptation began airing in Japan in 2004, and was aired on North American television in 2006 on the Adult Swim network in the United States and YTV in Canda. Both the manga and the anime are currently ongoing in Japan.
Tite Kubo, born in 1977, created his first manga series, Zombie Powder, in 1999. The series ran in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and culminated at 4 volumes. After that he began writing the popular manga Bleach, which continues to this day.
Warner Brothers Studio Adapting Manga Properties
Though the Hollywood film studio has never created a live-action anime or manga adaptation, it has already acquired the rights to a few other properties. The studio has acquired the rights to Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's Death Note manga, another supernatural series that is also published by Weekly Shonen Jump and VIZ Media. Adaptations are also being developed for both Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll anime and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. Both of those movies are being produced through Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way production company.
Director and Producer Peter Segal
Peter Segal has directed several movies and TV series since the early 1990's, including Tom Arnold, Tommy Boy, and 50 First Dates. Many of his films are highly rated comedies, however Segal has never directed or produced an action series like Bleach. Segal will be working on Bleach as a producer only, not as a director.
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