Summary
Yet another anime isgetting the live-action treatment, and this time it is one of the classics.Black Jackis going to be the next story to get a live-action adaptation, and it is releasing as soon as next year. Rather than focusing on remaking the anime, though, the story is going to be an adaptation of the original manga.
The news came last Saturday from TV Asahi. The announcement included the 2024 release date, along with a promotional image and the news that the main character would be played by Issei Takahashi. Takahashi is known for his roles as Seiji Amasawa inWhisper of the Heart, Kazunori Morinaga inIkebukuro West Gate Park, and the voice of Ultraman inShin Ultraman. He is certainly no stranger to live-action adaptations!
RELATED:AI-Created Version of Tezuka’s Black Jack Coming This Fall
Black Jack, created by Osamu Tezuka (also famous forAstro Boy), began its run as a manga in November 1973. The manga continued to be published for ten years, containing hundreds of self-contained mini-stories that averaged about 20 pages each. The story follows the adventures of a doctor named Black Jack, whose distinct appearance makes him instantly recognizable to most anime fans whether they have read his stories before or not. Most of the stories involve Black Jack helping the poor and destitute withhis medical knowledge, often for nothing in return.
This is not the first time thatBlack Jackhas been adapted from manga to the screen. In 1992, there was a theatrical movie along with a 10-episode OVA series created by Tezuka’s apprentice, Osamu Dezaki. Then, a 61-episode anime series aired from 2004 to 2006, whichadapted the original manga. 17 more episodes following a new story were also released in 2006, calledBlack Jack 21, though it never received international licensing. Finally, in 2015, another new series calledYoung Black Jackwas released, following Black Jack’s years as a medical student in another original story.
This new live-action series will also not be the first time thatBlack Jackbecame live-action. The first was a film in 1977, followed by a full-length series in 1981 that changed Black Jack’s backstory from the original manga. 3 more movies were made in 1996, and another 3 in 2000-2001. Most recently, in 2011Young Black Jackalso got the live-action treatment, with a new version of Black Jack’s origin story.
This new live-action by TV Asahi will be the first adaptation of the original manga in 2000 and will try tocapture the original storymore accurately than some other adaptations have. It will be directed by Hideo Joujou, with Yoshiko Morishita writing the screenplay and Takashi Ohmama composing the score. TV Asahi is not the only one making an adaptation at the moment, though, as Chinese studio Beijing Enlight Pictures is working on a live-action Chinese drama as well.
