Japanese horror-action film “Tokyo Ghoul,” based on a bestselling manga, is set to premiere in Los Angeles next month at Anime Expo 2017 and is slated for release in 23 countries.
The film is the debut feature of director Kentaro Hagiwara, who won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmaker Award in 2013. “Tokyo Ghoul” tells the story of human-eating creatures called “ghouls” that are spreading throughout the Japanese capital. The main character, Kaneki, is a boy who, after an accident, is half-human, half-ghoul.
The original manga has sold 23 million copies since 2011 and been adapted for animation and gaming versions.
The film stars Masataka Kubota as Kaneki. Yu Aoi plays Rise. Newly announced cast members include Shunya Shiraishi as Nishiki Nishio, Seika Furuhata as Yoriko Kosaka, Tomoya Maeno as detective Ippei Kusaba, Dankan as ghoul expert Hisashi Ogura, and Ryo Iwamatsu as Dr. Akihiro Kano.
Don Davis, who worked on the “Matrix” films, is the composer. Makoto Yokoyama, who worked on the “Power Rangers” franchise, is the action director.
Funimation is distributing the film in the U.S.
Hagiwara is a graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.
