‘Saint Seiya’ Creator Masami Kurumada Live-Action Gives Thumbs Up To Sony’s Upcoming ‘Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning’ Live-Action Film
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Things are heating up across the Saint Seiya fandom: The bronze Saints are preparing for their final act against Ophiuchus Odysseus in Saint Seiya: Next Dimension, the resurrected forces of Poseidon are moving to save the Earth from Nemesis in the spin-off series Rerise of Poseidon, and the premiere of Sony’s live-action Saint Seiya is on the horizon.
Seiya (Mackenyu) equips the Pegasus Armor in Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning (2023), Sony
An adaptation of Netflix and Crunchyroll’s CGI take on Masami Kurumada’s classic manga, Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning will tell the origin story of series protagonist, Seiya (Mackenyu, Netflix’s live-action One Piece), a young orphan who was raised to fight in service of the goddess Athena as one of her legendary Saint warriors.
Set to kick off a six-movie live-action Saint Seiya franchise, the film will be directed by Tomasz Bagiński and feature extensive input from series mangaka Masami Kurumada, who the former has confirmed was “involved in several stages of the film”.
“So, when we were reaching certain moments, like key milestones, key moments, we were always asking [him] for his opinion and we had some really really good feedback from Mr. Kurumada,” Bagiński told the Brazil-based Japanese pop culture news site JBOX in February. “[He also gave input on the] Armors, also about the story, and also about how to approach it.”
Marin (Caitlin Hutson) attempts to train Seiya (Mackenyu) to become a Saint in Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning (2023), Sony
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And though trailers have left fans divided in their expectations, it appears the final product has been given the official seal of approval from Kuramada himself.
On April 17th, the official Knights of the Zodiac film franchise Twitter account shared a statement from the mangaka wherein he declared, “The young men and women who grew up watching ‘Seiya’ across the ocean have made such an exciting movie. I believe that everyone who watches it will feel the passion behind this just as I did.”
Knights of the Zodiac Live Action Film via Twitter
“Thank you Kurumada Sensei for your support of the #KotZmovie!” replied the film’s account. “Your endorsement means the world & we’re honored to bring your beloved characters to life on the big screen. Let’s burn our Cosmos together!”
Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning will kick off its global theatrical run in Brazil, Mexico, and Latin America on April 27th. The film’s cosmos will then burn bright in Japan on April 28th before Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films finally brings it stateside on May 12th.
Phoenix Nero (Diego Tinoco) prepares to take a swing at Seiya (Mackenyu) in Knights of the Zodiac: The Beginning (2023), Sony