'Bleach' Live-Action Film Announces Release Date

Like it or not, Bleach will release its first live-action romp this year. Warner Bros. Japan is slated to debut its film of the supernatural series in 2018, and fans just learned the exact date it will be dropping.

So, you better get your calendars out. Bleach will ghost into theaters starting on July 20, 2018.

Last falls, fans got their first taste of Bleach when Warner Bros. Japan opened up about the project. A teaser for the film was released which saw Sota Fukushi in-character as Ichigo Kurosaki. The orange-haired hero was seen cutting down a Hollow with his Zanpakuto, and the fiery clip left fans wanting more.

So far, Bleach has withheld any footage outside of its original teaser. There is no word on when a full trailer will drop, but Warner Bros. Japan did show off its costumes to fans. Fukushi's take on Ichigo got its own character poster last year, and Rukia Kuchiki got her own today. The studio also confirmed actress Hana Sugisaki will play the heroine.

There is little known about the Bleach film right now, but the series' creator did address it during a recent interview. Tite Kubo sat down with TBS Radio in Japan last November to talk about his career, and it was there the artist said he has faith in this live-action film.

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

Kubo seems excited for Bleach to hit theaters, but fans are still mixed about the project. Sadly, live-action anime has gotten a bad reputation over the years, but films like Gintama and Rurouni Kenshin have helped eased the stigma. If Bleach impresses, the genre will have another winner under its belt, and Hollywood will get a role model on how to tackle its own adaptations.

If you are not familiar with Bleach, then you should know the series is a massively popular one with fans. The franchise began in 2001 under Tite Kubo before an anime adaptation started in 2004. The supernatural series follows the life of a boy named Ichigo Kurosaki after he becomes a substitute Soul Reaper. The immensely gifted boy works with his partner Rukia to dispath evil souls and send others to their resting place. However, when Ichigo learns of the Soul Society and its strict customs, the hero discovers his world is in far more danger than he could have imagined

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