Ed Zwick Writing And Directing 'Soul Reviver' Movie

It's too soon to call it a trend, but between the adaptation of Death Note (which Gus Van Sant was erroneously said to be part of) and now this new adaptation of Soul Reviver, are we about to see more US interest in bringing anime and manga stories to the screen? Regardless, The Last Samurai producer Marshall Herskovitz and director Ed Zwick are putting together a Soul Reviver movie, adapting the supernatural action series created by Tohru Fujisawa and Manabu Akishige

The series features a vision of the world in which "the dead can be brought back to life, if their souls can be restored before disappearing into the void." Between life and the void, former detective Jin Ryuusuke and dead high school girl Sekimachi Kurara salvage souls before they are gone forever.

Before we go any further, here's an English-subtitled trailer for the manga:

Herskovitz and Zwick will write the screenplay, and Zwick will direct. Reportedly the idea is to produce a release for 2016. Zwick said in a press release first given to Deadline, "Japanese cinema has always been a touchstone for me. I'm excited to extend that relationship to this new and vital part of Japanese culture."

Japanese companies Fields Corporation and All Nippon Entertainment Works will partner with Zwick and Herskovitz's Bedford Falls Company on the live-action English-language film.

Ed  Zwick most recently directed chess drama Pawn Sacrifice, which will play at the Toronto Film Festival, and he and Herskovitz produced Ron Howard's current production Heart Of The Sea.