The live-action film for the Blade of the Immortal hit Japan at the end of April through Warner Bros. Japan and has now found a release partner overseas. Magnet Releasing, which handles a number of foreign films for Magnolia Pictures, has picked up the rights to the film with their first subtitled trailer arriving for it. No release plans have been set for it yet.
The film is directed by Takashi Miike. It’s based on the manga by Hiroaki Samura that began in 1993 and finished in 2012, with Dark Horse Comics publishing it in North America for much the same period where it won an Eisner years ago. New omnibus editions are in the works domestically for it.
The Japanese cast includes Takuya Kimura as Manji, Hana Sugisaki as Rin Asano, Hayato Ichihara as Shira, Erika Toda as Makie Otonotachibana, Ebizou Ichikawa as Eiku Shizuma, Tsutomu Yamazaki as Kensui Ibane, Min Tanaka as Habaki Kagimura, Kazuki Kitamura as Sabato Kuroi, Chiaki Kuriyama as Hyakurin and Shinnosuke Mitsushima as Taito Magatsu.
Plot concept: To end his eternal suffering, he must slay one thousand enemies! Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men! His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents’ killers . . . and his quest won’t end until the blood of a thousand has spilled!