Netflix got another boost to its growing Japanese content slate, Netflix has green-lighted a Japanese live-action film based on the classic Japanese Manga “City Hunter” created by Tsukasa Hojo, “City Hunter,” which will be available for streaming all over the world.
Created by a legendary artist Tsukasa Hojo, the manga was a staple of Japanese pop culture throughout the 1980s, selling over 50 million copies around the world. The story unfolds in the bustling streets of Shinjuku with the manga to be updated to the modern-day. The original work was a staple of Japanese pop culture throughout the 1980s.
Ryohei Suzuki (“Tokyo MER,” “Segodon”) has signed on to star in the iconic role of Ryo Saeba whose partner Makimura is killed. He and Makimura’s sister Kaori team up to find out the truth.
The franchise spawned a popular anime series and numerous feature-length adaptations, including movies made in Hong Kong (one starring Jackie Chan), France and mainland China, but this will be their first time the property is adapted as a live-action film in its native Japan.
Yuichi Sato(“Kisaragi,” “Strawberry Nights” and “The End of the Tiny World“) onboard to direct from a script by Tatsuro Mishima, who scripted several episodes of Netflix’s Japanese original series “Yu Yu Hakusho.”
Suzuki says the adaptation will “aim to strike the right balance between realism and fantasy, as well as tones from the ’80s and today.” His pressure to play such an iconic character. “I am thrilled to be playing Ryo Saeba and feel a great deal of responsibility to portray this beloved, legendary character created by Tsukasa Hojo,” Suzuki says. “I cannot wait for both existing fans as well as newcomers around the world to fall in love with Ryo Saeba and his fun, action-packed adventures around modern-day Tokyo.”
According to the creator Hojo, the Japanese feature adaptation unveiled Thursday by Netflix has been in the works for a decade. “I always hoped the lead would be played by someone who really liked City Hunter and thanks to Ryohei’s unwavering passion, the time has finally come,” he also mentioned. “Thanks to the dedicated cast and crew, I’m looking forward to the title being brought to screen, with a fresh and realistic perspective that isn’t strictly bound to the original manga.”
The project is set for a 2024 release.
