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Watch This: Footage from Live-Action 'Space Battleship Yamato'

by Alex Billington
January 1, 2010
Source: Nippon Cinema

Whoa, what a totally awesome way to kick off the New Year! The Japanese have been quietly developing a live-action adaptation of Leiji Matsumoto's anime series Space Battleship Yamato that first aired in the 1970s. You may not be familiar with the show, but you probably recognize the design of the spaceship in the anime. Well, director Takashi Yamazaki (Always - Sunset on Third Street) is currently shooting a live-action version of Space Battleship Yamato that kind of looks like Star Trek mixed with Japanese anime. Thanks to Nippon Cinema (via Quiet Earth) an early TV spot has landed online and it looks pretty frickin' awesome!

As of this moment, Space Battleship Yamato (also known as Star Blazers when it was brought to the US in the 80s), will hit theaters in Japan in December of 2010, about a year from now. The budget is around 2 billion yen (about $20 million) and will be the first in the franchise to use the "Space Battleship Yamato" English title domestically in an effort to appeal to international audiences as early as possible. I don't know much about this, but it looks awesome so far, and I'm hoping it won't take too long to hit US theaters (as in, I hope we don't have to wait until 2011). You can find more info about this on Nippon Cinema. Look good?

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peter T'Sas

looks fierce!
Sho

meh... its no Avatar
http://www.superliminal.wordpress.com N

And of course we have CM-king/pretty boy Kimura Takuya in the lead. Big surprise heh.
Kevin

I should hope not #3... no movie should have such low aspirations as that.
Blue Shoes

I thought that was a girl.
N

I wasn't really referring to the film, more the fact that Kimura Takuya (Who has been/is Japans most popular actor/idol/cm-spokesman since the 90s) is appearing in a blockbuster taken place in space and that I thought it was kind of funny. I think it's a shame that they prefer to use an famous actor whom you've seen it at least a dozen movies/tv-series instead of using a fresh face. But it's all in the money and reliability I suppose.
harrison

hah i thought the same thing #5 but it doesnt look bad, dont know if i could watch it subtitles always took away from the experience for me...
whomever

Will it be as boring as Casshern? Or 20th Century Dudes? Or Dragonhead? I don't think I've ever seen a Japanese movie with a large budget that was good.
Verno

hopefully it will do okay and some big US producer will want to make an American version. Funny how all the actors in the cartoon were drawn "English" looking not Asian and here they have all Asian actors in the parts. I realize its an Asian movie, just an observation. God I wish someone would do this well.
YK

Looks terrible. But I'll watch it anyway because there are spaceships.
Jen Yamato

I'm excited.
cintilla

HAHAHAHA! I feel like the only person in America that was a HUGE Star Blazers fan. Looks awesome. I wished they would have actually shown the Wave Motion Gun in all it's glory instead of just a slight peak.
Cineprog

Would like to see a better Trailer for Battleship Earth, looks intresting, but there was not Enought to make a jugment on this short video clip.
http://www.superliminal.wordpress.com N

#8 Yeah the majority are bad. I liked Death Note though.
Vincent Cipollone

lol. Alex n the gang must out of material to run on the frontpage eh? lol XD
DoomCanoe

#8 Casshern ruled! and Goemon was fucking phenomenal i would give that movie so many Oscar's its scary
lol

the cheese is strong with this one
Peter Krieger

I have waited for this for 30 YEARS! I simply cannot wait for the subbed/dubbed version; I might even get on a plane to Japan to catch this one. Simply the best news I could possibly have heard this New Years Day. All Hail Gamilon!
Duude

The movie is going to be controversial because some people think it beautifies Japanese imperialism.
Combaticus

Meh. It's no "Message From Space."
matt

i just came a little
Duck

Do want!
dave13

Always Sunset was really well done. This looks promising.
nohbahdih

I have the vcr version of this. but Hulu.com and others have them as well. Excited.
pipo

Awesome!!!
DarkRaven18599

#12 I was also a huge fan of the Starblazers cartoon edit that was shown over here in North America. This looks like a fairly faithful recreation into live action. High desire to see the WMG laying waste, along with that asteroid shield. Not too familiar with the Japanese acting scene, so I have no hesitation about seeing something that will hopefully bring back good childhood memories. Rockin'!