YAKUZA Movie In The Works
Kazuma Kiryu is heading to the big screen after all. According to an exclusive obtained by Variety, Sega is developing a live-action adaptation of their second biggest series to date, Yakuza. Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long will produce the film, while the Production Firms chosen for the project announced are 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content. Yakuza was introduced to the world for Sony’s Playstation 2 System back in 2005. The crime-saga has since then introduced seven different alliteration’s. Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4, and Yakuza 5 all on Sony’s Playstation 3 System, and Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon all being introduced for Sony’s Playstation 4 System WITH Yakuza Remasters of games one through five as well.
“Yakuza offers us a new playground in which to set compelling stories with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before,” 1212 Entertainment said. “The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption.” Barmack said, “With our background in telling global stories, we are excited to bring this huge project to global platforms.”
There is no script yet for the Live-Action Adaptation, as writers are currently being scouted. Sega is also currently working on a sequel to the wildly successful “Sonic: The Hedgehog” so nobody really knows how far out we may even hear news or a let alone a teaser trailer of the film. It is safe to say, with seven sequels and a slew of spin-off’s, the story is wide open and ripe for possibility.
As fans of the series, we can only hope the story is as compelling and engrossing as the games (Except for Yakuza 3, that does NOT exist in my book). Check out the trailer for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, being released this November on all major platforms and also Sony’s Playstation 5, and Microsoft Xbox Series X.
