Japanese entertainment outlet Daily Cyzo has announced that a live-action adaptation of manga and anime series Fullmetal Alchemist is in the works. The movie will be directed by Ping Pong and Ashita no Joe’s Fumihiko Sori, and will star Hey! Say! JUMP member Ryosuke Yamada as protagonist Edward Elric, who also starred in the Assassination Classroom live-action adaptation.
The movie will heavily use CGI for the plentiful special effects and fantasy elements in the anime series, such as Alphonse Elric’s suit of armor. Filming is set to begin in Italy in June 2016, and will run until August.
Fullmetal Alchemist is a manga series by Hiromu Arakawa that was published from 2001-2010 by Square Enix. It was adapted into two popular and well-received anime series by Bones, with Fullmetal Alchemist from 2003-2004, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood from 2009-2010. The series also has two movies, 2005’s Conqueror of Shamballa and Sacred Star of Milos from 2011, as well as a number of OVAs and video games.