Takeru Sato will play Kenshin Himura, the samurai hero of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s popular Rurouni Kenshin manga (published here by Viz Media) in a live-action adaptation being produced by Warner Japan. Himura is a feared assassin who decides to spend the rest of his life as a wandering samurai who roams the countryside and protects the weak.  The Rurouni Kenshin manga, which includes 28 volumes, was one of the first titles that Viz Media consolidated for re-release.  The entire series was published in 9 Vizbig volumes that were released from 2008-2010.

 

Watsuki’s samurai saga was also made into a very popular 95-episode anime series in the 1990s by Studio Gallop (episodes 1-66) and Studio Deen (67-95).  The anime was released in the U.S. by Media Blasters, while the Kenshin-based Samurai X anime movie from 1997 was released here by ADV.

 

According to Variety, production on the film will start in July with a theatrical release slated for 2012.  Variety also reports that Warner Japan’s live-action adaptation of Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss manga is doing very well.  Produced for between $3 and $4 million, the Paradise Kiss movie has already earned $18.5 million in Japan since its release earlier this month.