Japan's Toei Animation has teamed up with Hong Kong-based A Really Good Film Company (ARGF) to produce an English-language, live-action movie based on mythology/martial arts epic Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac. What's being described as "Hollywood" movie in Japanese movie press has ARGF joining Toei Animation as its development and China co-production partner with Greater China distribution planned. 

Pollish illustrator/animator Tomasz Bagiński (cinematics for The Witcher games, Oscar nominee for shor The Cathedral/Katedra) helms. Yoshi Ikezawa and Joseph Chou of Toei Animation will serve as producers, along with ARGF founder Jeffrey Chan, who is also COO of Bona Film Group. Tim Kwok of Convergence Entertainment, Miguel Faura and Kozo Morishita of Toei Animation are executive producing with Kurumada. 

Based on Masami Kurumada’s best-selling manga, Saint Seiya is one of the world’s biggest animated franchises, with total revenue of more than $1.1bn since 1986. Toei Animation has produced over 250 TV episodes and six features, which were released in over 80 countries. The original manga by Masami Kurumada has sold over 35 million copies.

via Screen Daily and Eiga.com

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.