Tetsujin 28 & Samurai 7 Stage Plays in Development

Stage adaptations of popular manga and anime titles aren’t unusual, but the details of two new announced productions are unsual, to say the least.

Mamoru Oshii will make his playwrighting and directing debut with a live stage adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin 28 (Gigantor) manga. 15 year old boy protagonist Shoutarou Kaneda will be portrayed by actress Kaho Minami. Oshii’s frequent music collaborator Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell and Death Note films) will make his theatrical stage debut as the play’s composer. The play will open in Tokyo next January before moving to Osaka in February.

Samurai 7, Gonzo’s 2004 anime adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 action film The Seven Samurai, will be adapted into a stage play that will premier in November. Protagonist Kambei will be played by veteran actor Masaya Kato, who has appeared in samurai films including Ryuhei Kitamura’s 2003 short Aragami and the 2003 Makai Tensho. The role of Kikuchiyo, made famous in the 1954 film by Toshiro Mifune, will be played by Razor Ramon, best known for his celebrity alter-ego “Hard Gay.”

Source: Anime News Network