Warner Bros. prepping film adaptation of 'Bleach' manga (exclusive)

Warner Bros., already developing an adaptation of the manga "Akira," is in the process of securing the movie rights to "Bleach."

Peter Segal is in negotiations to produce, though not direct, the adaptation with Viz Media, the anime publishing house that releases the books in English in the U.S. Michael Ewing, Segal's partner at Callahan Filmworks, will also produce.

The story centers on a 15-year-old boy who has the ability to see ghosts and meets a female Soul Reaper, a member of an order that escorts the souls of the dead. A fight with an evil spirit causes the Reaper to transfer all her power to the boy, leaving her stranded in the human world and the boy taking over her job as a fighter of evil.

The manga, written and drawn by Tite Kubo, has been published in weekly installments in Japan since 2001. Viz has collected the stories in graphic novel format, so far releasing 29 volumes.

"Bleach" has been adapted into an anime TV series that airs in Japan. An English version airs on Cartoon Network and Canada's YTV. In Japan, the title has spawned features and a musical.

As the director of such comedies as "Get Smart" and "50 First Dates," Segal might seem an odd choice to shepherd the "Bleach" adaptation, but he's been seeking to expand his portfolio by taking on darker, more action-oriented material.

Comments

[nintendo r4]

I'm hoping the second Bleach movie will be out in theaters. I don't want it to end up like Naruto where the second and third movies came out only on DVD. I had a lot of fun seeing the first Bleach movie in Theaters.

[Destedwards]

Ugh. This is gonna suck. To quote my friend, "we can only hope that Kubo-sensei tells WB to lick balls and die."

[takeru]

seriously.
no.

[DAYUM]

OH SHI-

HERE WE ******* GO

[Denise]

Yeah, and they're probably going to cast no Asians, even though it takes place in Japan. Also, the concept of "shinigami" doesn't exist in Western culture... wonder how that's going to change.... Bleach is great the way it is.

[Nicole]

Hollywood's way of recognizing Japanese media:
Attempt to overtake and screw it up.
Reasoning: if we fuck it up enough, people will want to watch Western films more in the future.

Hollywood.....stfu and stay away unless you can be ACCURATE with the character CASTING and STORYLINE.

[ej0]

JUST AS PLANNED

[Dantes]

WRY.
JUST WRY.

THEY BETTER CAST ASIANS AND THEY BETTER DO IT GOOD >:U
inb4 shitstorm

[psp memory]

I don't want it to end up like Naruto where the second and third movies came out only on DVD. I had a lot of fun seeing the first Bleach movie in Theaters.

[poppet]

Alright, just calm down. Look, this does not need Asian actors. There's nothing particularly Asian about the show except for the names, and those can be changed. A good cast and well-executed plot does not depend on racial preference. If it's going to suck, it'll suck just as much with Asian actors who can pronounce "the original" names as opposed to anybody else.

[Pissed off fan]

Hollywood, stay the fuck out of anime and manga. Come up with your own goddamn ideas or get the fuck out of the business.

[bleach fan]

@poppet
um... ya, most of the characters have specifically Japanese backgrounds (save for Chad, who's half? Mexican) and Orihime who has an ambiguous background since her parents aren't in the picture, but is assumed to be at least half Japanese, and is probably full)
Since a huge amount of the plot and aspects of the story have to do with Japanese culture, it would look really stupid with white actors. Maybe some of the shinigami could be of other races (besides Tousen who is obviously black) since Soul Society is most likely not exclusive to Japan, but the main characters who start out the show living in Japan, in typical Japanese lives, would need to be played by Japanese (or at least Asian, although there's always wank about that too) or it would just look stupid.
Honestly, I don't think most of Hollywood has the cultural awareness to effectively make a movie based upon a manga/anime that is rooted in Japanese culture/traditions/superstitions/religion, however, I would hope that they would at least cast it with some cultural accuracy.

[Siahna Graham]

Oh God...
This has got to be worse than WB announcing Zac Efron as Light Yagami....

One can only pray that, if this actually does come off, that the director/producers know what their doing...

[poppet]

@bleach fan:

I'm not saying that the characters aren't Japanese, but there's nothing important to the plot that is so distinctly Japanese that it can't be easily changed. Sure, if you want to get down to it, many of the elements are based in random bits of Japanese spiritualism, but the end product is not distinctly foreign in its undertaking. That would be like saying that a Japanese based on Batman would have to use Caucasian actors.

[cassi]

@poppet
The reason why Bleach is sucessful is because it plays in Japan, has Japanese characters and so the Japanese culture in it which you describe as random bits of Japanese spiritualism makes sense.
Changing the cast also means changing the storyline and it makes absolutely no sense, for a Japanese reaper played by an American to appear in America and fight Hollows in Japanese clothing.

[cassi]

The WB better put some afford behind this movie and not screw it up like Fox did with Dragonball Evolution!

[ArtThieveryIsWrong!]

.......Wonder if Nick Simmons will try to rip off this movie by editing in footage from it and putting it into an Incarnate movie?!?!? LOL!!!!!!

[Siggy Starduzst]

Haha, I'm all for this. If only to see how they handle a live-action hollow transformation. Style has always been Bleach's forte, can they keep it?

[js]

this can be very good or very bad. Very bad if they don't treat this work with the respect that it deserves. Good if they know how to put everthing together as if they were Chris Nolan. man i love Bleach, no joke. I would love to see a trilogy of or four-gilogy of all the srory arcs..but only if they have solid storytellers!!!!