The "Bleach" live action film is on its way, and fans of the manga will see actor Sōta Fukushi portraying the role of Ichigo Kurosaki.
"When I first heard they were doing a live-action Bleach, I was also surprised," Kotaku quoted Fukushi as saying.
The 23-year-old actor/model is best known for his works on "Kamen Rider Fourze" as Gentaro Kisaragi/ Kamen Rider Fourze and in "Suki ni Itte" ("Say 'I Love You'") as Yamato Kurosawa. He was also cast for the main role in films like "Kami-sama no Iu Toori," "Strobe Edge," and "Boku wa Ashita, Kinou no Kimi to Date Suru."
Ichigo, the character he is going to be playing in "Bleach," is a 15-year-old high school student who is able to see ghosts. He has had this ability since he was a child, so it's nothing new to him. One ordinary evening, he meets the Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki. She gets injured while fighting a Hollow and gives Ichigo temporary use of her Shinigami powers to defeat the soul-eating monster and save his family. His life is never the same since.
The live-action film is directed by Shinsuke Sato, who was behind "Gantz" and "I am a Hero." He also directed "Library Wars: The Last Mission," which also featured Fukushi in the main cast. Of the upcoming movie, the director said that he wants it to be something that everyone can enjoy, "even people who know nothing about Bleach," according to Japan Today.
"My only concern is perhaps the hair color," Kubo was quoted by Kotaku as saying. "If that color is in the live-action movie, it'd be strange, so I wonder what they're going to do!"
Given Kubo's desire for the movie to be appreciated by even those who are not familiar with the manga, it can be surmised that the story will center around the first arcs of the series. Just like the live-action film of "Rurouni Kenshin," which showed how Kenshin met his friends Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Megumi, "Bleach" just might show how Ichigo meets Rukia and the people in Soul Society and how he uses his powers as a substitute Shinigami.
The live-action "Bleach" movie will shown in Japan in 2018.
