Anime and manga fans, rejoice! The live-action adaptation of Hajime Isayama's "Attack on Titan" has officially greenlit by Warner Bros. Studios.
The exciting news came to light when Variety first reported that Warner Bros. Studios and Japan-based publishing company Kodansha have finalized a deal to produce a live-action adaptation of the popular "Attack on Titan" franchise.
The live-action adaptation will be helmed by Argentine film director Andy Muschietti, whose previous works include the 2013 supernatural horror film "Mama" and the eponymous 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's novel, "It." It will be produced by David Heyman ("Harry Potter," "Fantastic Beasts"), Barbara Muschietti ("It" and "Mama") and Masayori "Masi" Oka ("Mega Man").
"[Director Andy Muschietti is] the best possible person I can think of to direct a live-action 'Attack on Titan," "Attack on Titan" writer and illustrator, Hajime Isayama, said in a statement obtained by Sora News 24. The 32-year-old manga artist is also said to be looking forward to working with film producer David Heyman on this project.
Set in a world overrun by gigantic man-eating humanoids known as titans, the popular manga series "Attack on Titan" follows the adventures of Eren Yeager, a young boy who swears revenge on the Titans after it destroyed his hometown and devoured his mother, Carla Yeager, alive.
In order to do so, Eren Yeager enlists in the Military and joins the Survey Corps - an elite group of soldiers who fight the titans outside the Walls (Wall Maria, Wall Rose, Wall Sheena) - along with his adoptive sister, Mikasa Ackerman and childhood friend, Armin Arlert.
"Attack on Titan" was first adapted into an anime television series back in 2013. It also received a two-part Japanese-language live-action treatment back in 2015 from director Shinji Higuchi ("Shin Godzilla" and "The Floating Castle").
However, the Japanese-language live-action treatment was not well-received by fans since the story was reportedly too far away in tone from the original source material. Some fans also criticized the film's special effects and the actors' - Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Hiroki Hasegawa, Kanata Hongo, Takahiro Miura, Nanami Sakuraba, Sator Matsuo, Shu Watanabe, Ayame Misaki, Rina Takeda, Pierre Taki, Satomi Ishihara, and Jun Kunimura - performance.
Despite that, the two-part live-action film still got $46 million at the Japanese box office. In other related news, the third season of the anime adaptation recently went into hiatus and is scheduled to return sometime in April 2019 with another 12 episodes.
