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Hollywood Live-Action Root Letter Film's Rights Change to Ammo Entertainment
posted on by Adriana Hazra
Akatsuki Inc. announced on June 7 that it has handed over the rights of the live-action film adaptation of Kadokawa Games' √Letter (pronounced "Root Letter") game to AMMO (based in Tokyo) and AMMO Entertainment (based in California).
Akatsuki Entertainment USA announced the film in November 2018. Sonja O'Hara is directing the film. David Ebeltoft wrote the screenplay. Annmarie Sairrino, Moeko Suzuki, and Kat McPhee are producing the film.
The film will star Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick), Keana Marie (Huge in France), Lydia Hearst (The Haunting of Sharon Tate), Breon Pugh (Cloak & Dagger), and Mark St. Cyr (High School Musical: The Musical - The Series).
AMMO stated that it has finished production on the film, and Akatsuki Entertainment added that the project is still "in progress." AMMO Entertainment is currently negotiating with potential distributors for the film.
The film's website describes the story:
After Carlos, a young man struggling with poverty and a fractured home, receives a desperate note from Sarah, a pen pal he lost touch with a year earlier, he uses her letters as a guide to solve the mystery of her disappearance, as well as crimes she may have been a part of.
Akatsuki Inc. stated it is has "[redefined] itself as an IP producer with emphasis on games" with its 10th anniversary in 2020, and has handed over the management and execution of √Letter and its other Hollywood film project Room 203 to AMMO Entertainment. AMMO Entertainment is a Tokyo-based entertainment production company that is focusing on building "strategic partnerships between Hollywood and Japanese companies to acquire, develop and produce commercially driven intellectual properties including Japanese manga and anime." Former Akatsuki Entertainment officers founded AMMO and AMMO Entertainment.
The √Letter mystery visual novel shipped in June 2016 in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Rice Digital and PQube released the game in Europe in October 2016, and in North America in November 2016. Kadokawa Games released the game on PC via Steam in July 2017 and for iOS and Android in August 2017.
LovePlus character designer Tarō Minoboshi planned and designed the characters. Dario Fuji handled the scenario, while Takashi Nitta composed the music. Yoshimi Yasuda produced the game, and Zin Hasegawa directed the game.
The √Letter Last Answer live-action game project, which is a re-release of √Letter, launched for the PS4, PS Vita, and Nintendo Switch in December 2018. The game included an alternative live-action "Drama Mode" and four new "Explanation" scenarios.
The game's new "Drama Mode" replaces Tarō Minoboshi's illustrations in the original game with live-action photographs from 90 actors, and the background illustrations based on actual Shimane prefecture locations have also been replaced with photographs of the real-life locations. Players can switch between the original illustrations and the "Drama Mode" photographs.
Sources: Akatsuki Inc.'s website, Anime Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)
