'Bleach' Live-Action Film Shares Message to Ring in 2018

The entertainment industry is not ready to give up on live-action anime just yet. Warner Bros. Japan will release its take on Bleach in 2018, and the film is helping ring in the new year to hype fans for its debut.

Over on Twitter, the official page for Bleach took a moment to share a rare message. The little-updated account posted a New Year's greeting using its live-action poster, and the crew behind Bleach shared the following message with fans:

"Happy New Year! Hello everyone, Happy New Year!!! This summer, the Bleach film will finally open. Thank you for all your support!"

🎍HAPPY NEW YEAR🎍

㊗️🌅皆さま、新年あけましておめでとうございます❗️❗️

🌈今年の夏は、映画『#BLEACH』が遂に公開👊

2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣8️⃣年もよろしくお願いいたします🙇‍♂️#謹賀新年 #あけおめ🐶#映画ブリーチ #福士蒼汰 pic.twitter.com/AF3KtYVQOb

— 映画『BLEACH』公式 (@bleach_moviejp) January 1, 2018

So far, there have been few updates on the live-action film, but fans have been shown a teaser of Bleach. Last summer, Warner Bros. Japan released a short clip of the film to whet the appetite of audiences for a full trailer. The clip simply showed Ichigo Kurosaki in his Soul Reaper uniform as he cut through a Hollow, and it ended with the hero surrounded by fire.

Right now, Bleach is slated to premiere this summer, but it has no official release date as of yet. Tite Kubo, the series' creator, shared his honest opinions about the film back in November - and his words got fans feeling optimistic.

"For the Japanese live-action version, I feel that we have come close to the original work," Kubo teased. "I am really looking forward to it."

If you are not familiar with Hollywood's former plans for Bleach, then you should know Warner Bros. announced it was developing such an adaptation back in 2010. Peter Segal was being eyed to produce and direct the project after working on Get Smart and The Longest Yard. Masi Oka from Heroes was also rumored to be attached to the project as a producer, but it seems like Kubo was not pleased with how his franchise was handled abroad.

What is your gut-feeling towards Bleach's live-action debut? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!