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Diaspolice Manga Gets Live-Action TV Series, Film Starring Shota Matsuda

A live-action television series and film adaptation of Richard Woo (a pseuodnym of Takashi Nagasaki) and Shinichi Sugimura's Diaspolice: Ihō Keisatsu manga has been green-lit, with Shota Matsuda (shown below in costume) starring in both the TV series and the film.

The TV series will premiere on MBS and TBS in April as the first show in the channels' "Dramaism" late-night drama programming block. The TV series is slated for 10 episodes. The film will open in Japan in summer. The newly-opened website began streaming a teaser movie on Thursday.

Four directors will collaborate on the television series, including Masanori Tominaga (The Echo of Astro Boy's Footsteps), Katsuhito Mogi (The Next Generation -Patlabor- assistant director), Tetsuya Mariko, and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (My Man). Each director will be responsible for a set number of episodes. Kumakiri will direct the film.

The manga received a Jury Selection award in the manga division at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2010. The award's official website describes the story:

There are roughly 150,000 illegal immigrants and illegal foreign workers in Tokyo. Those aliens have established a shady Metropolitan Government of the aliens, by the aliens, for the aliens. Public institutions such as government offices, courts, tax offices and hospitals exist within the shady government. KUBOZUKA Saki is the only police officer officially approved by the shady Metropolitan Government. This is a story of a mysterious man who protects and sometimes punishes aliens who can only live in the shady world. Today KUBOZUKA is again daring to and in the alien city of Tokyo.

Source: The Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web