By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)
Out of all the announced films for the year of 2017 that are gunning for the blockbuster position, is anyone as excited for the Fullmetal Alchemist live action movie as I am? Slated for December of this year, Fullmetal looks to have received a hefty shooting budget if the teaser trailer was any indication.
The movie follows the Elric brothers, Alphonse and Edward, in the fictional country of Amestris. In this world based off the manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, steam power is king and alchemy is one of the most practiced sciences.
For Director Fumihiko Sori, this isn’t his first time bringing a manga property to the big screen. In 2011 he directed Tomorrow’s Joe, based off the Ashita no Joe manga series. According to Fumihiko, the movie was filmed on location in Italy because it was integral to not only have access to a steam locomotive but to have settings that closely resembled the European architecture as found in the manga and animated series. “The biggest reason why I wanted to go to Italy was because of the locomotive.” said Fumihiko.
The short teaser trailer released in November, 2016 by Warner Bros. Japan, gave a first look at Alphonse, whom appears not to be a CGI creation but an actor in a suit. The teaser only revealed Alphonse’s torso and Edward’s head in one scene but a photo released on Warner Bros. Japan’s Fullmetal Alchemist website on New Year’s Day (Japan time) shows both Alphonse and Edward’s full frontal profile. Much of that profile though is hidden in shadows and steam.
Fullmetal Alchemist stars Ryosuke Yamada as Edward Elric and will be released in Japanese theatres in December, 2017.
Source(s): Anime Paw Facebook site and the Fullmetal Alchemist live-action film official website.
Video Source(s): punyukichii.
