Ōoku: The Inner Chamber Manga Gets Live-Action Film

Fumi Yoshinaga's award-nominated Ōoku: The Inner Chamber manga is being made into a live-action flm, with filming to begin next spring. The historical science fiction story takes place in an alternate history version of medieval Japan, in which a bizarre disease has dwindled the male population. This has led to a matriarchal society where women outnumber men by 4 to 1. The shogun and de facto ruler of Japan keeps her own harem of men, or Ōoku.

Fuminori Kaneko, a director best known for the live-action Kisarazu Cat's Eye and Ikebukuro West Gate Park television series, is overseeing the Ōoku film project. Natsuko Takahashi scripted the animated television version of another Yoshinaga work, Antique Bakery, before tackling this project. The release date and the cast of the film have yet be decided, but ASMIK Ace will distribute the film in Japan.

The manga has been running in Hakusensha's Melody magazine since 2005, and Viz Media will begin releasing the manga in North America this August. Ōoku was nominated for Japan's prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for the third year in a row last month. The manga was also nominated for the first Manga Taisho Awards last year.

Source: Comic Natalie