"Fullmetal Alchemist" live action movie's official website has released a trailer featuring Ryosuke Yamada as Edward Elric performing transmutations in his iconic red cape and his little brother, Alphonse Elric, in metal suit armor CG. The filming ended late August and the movie will premiere in Japan in winter 2017.
The trailer showed some familiar scenes from the story and the European style setting. The text reads: "The time has come. Two brothers' great journey. The legend... finally begins." There are also some action scenes and Edward can be heard telling his younger brother, "I promise I'll get our bodies back."
Plot Concept
The Elric brothers committed a taboo in alchemy when they were children. After a failed attempt to bring their dead mother back to life, Edward paid the price by losing his left leg and right arm while Alphonse lost his whole body. Edward attached Al's soul to a metal suit armor and at the age of 12, became the youngest State Alchemist in history called "Fullmetal Alchemist" with automail limbs. The two travel across the country in search for the Philosopher's Stone to restore their bodies. However, there is more to the Philosopher's Stone than they can imagine.
According to "Fullmetal Alchemist" live-action movie director, Fumihiko Sori, he wants to follow the original manga as much as possible. "The cast is entirely Japanese, but the cultural background is Europe. However, it's a style that doesn't represent a specific race or country," Sori said, as cited by Anime News Network.
Cast And Characters
The movie boasts star-studded cast. Hey! Say! JUMP member Ryōsuke Yamada ("Kindaichi Case Files," "Assassination Classroom") plays the role of Edward Elric, the elder of the Eldric brothers and a talented alchemist who can perform transmutations without a transmutation circle. In the movie, Edward will be aged as 20 years old instead of the original 15 in the manga.
Tsubasa Honda ("Koinaka," "Ao Haru Ride") plays Winry Rockbell, the two brothers' childhood friend and Edward's automail technician and love interest. On the other hand, Dean Fujioka ("Asa ga Kita," "Happy Marriage!?") plays Roy Mustang, Edward's direct superior known as the "Flame Alchemist."
Other cast members include the following: Fumiyo Kohinata as General Hakuro, Misako Renbutsu as Riza Hawkeye, Ryuta Sato as Maes Hughes, Natsuki Harada as Gracia Hughes, Natsuna as Maria Ross, Jun Kunimura as Doctor Marco, Kenjiro Ishimaru as Father Cornello, Yo Oizumi as Shou Tucker, Yasuko Matsuyuki as Lust, Kanata Hongou as Envy, and Shinji Uchiyama as Gluttony.
Although the cast members are all Japanese, Sori hinted that the characters would not have a scene or script that will identify them as Japanese. The characters in the manga are portrayed without Japanese ethnicity.
"Fullmetal Alchemist" original manga was written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was published in Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine from August 2001 to June 2010. The manga has since been adapted into different media. It was made into two anime television series: "Fullmetal Alchemist" in 2003 and "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" in 2009, which is more faithful to the original story. It has also been adapted to two animated films, audio dramas, video games and light novels.
