Yesterday, ANN revealed that Japanese film company Nikkatsu is planning a live-action movie version of the 1972 Japanese animated T.V. series classic Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, intended for release in summer of 2013 with Toho Co., Ltd. of Godzilla fame to distribute. The company itself is scheduled to start filming on Monday, and Tori Matsuzaka, famous for playing Takeru Shiba/Shiken Red for the Super Sentai T.V. series Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and for two episodes of the Kamen Rider T.V. series Kamen Rider Decade, is cast to play Ken Washio/Gatchaman, the leader of the Science Ninja Team.

Well its been over a year since the sad annoucnement that Imagi Holdings abandoned the project to make a 3D animated Gatchaman movie after the release of 2009's Astro Boy because of financial problems, or at least, that was sad news for those who were looking forward to seeing the animated film itself. While there is no knowing of when or if Toho will officially bring the Japanese live-action Gatchaman movie outside Japan, I'm hoping that Toho does take the opportunity to do so as to introduce the current generation of non-Japan-based otaku to the world of Gatchaman, even though it's likely that the movie itself will feature its own distinctive continuity. Look at North America for example, it's been long since anything Gatchaman was available in R1 DVD print and on North American television, and it's been years since any U.S. comic book series based on the classic (though more based on the Battle of The Planets version than any of the original Japanese Gatchaman stuff) were running. Should Toho have no intentions to bring their live-action film outside Japan, at least lets hope that Tatsunoko Production (the company owning the Gatchaman franchise) will continue shopping around for outside-Japan companies who maybe interested in doing their own live-action, animated, or comic book projects based on the legend.

10:56 Am Canada EST