SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO Goes Live Action!

You had to know that Takashi Yamazaki would return to science fiction one day.  And that when he did he would do so in a big way.  A to-the-bone effects geek, Yamazaki rose through the ranks directing television while also pursuing parallel careers in animation and special effects before rising to international attention directing the Takeshi Kaneshiro starring sci-fi action picture Returner.  Promising as Returner was, however, it was also quite flawed and it wasn't until Yamazaki turned from the future to the past that he found widespread success, striking massive commercial and critical success with his shamelessly nostalgic Always pictures.  But now he's back where he belongs.

Space Battleship Yamato is one of Japan's most famous and longest running anime series, the classic story of humanity's best and brightest packed into a massively powerful spaceship on a last desperate mission to claim a device that can cleanse and heal the shattered earth.  Yes, it's safe to assume Yamato was a major influence on Battlestar Galactica.  And now Yamazaki is at the helm of a big budget live action film version of the tale, working from a script by K-20 director Shimako Sato - also Yamazaki's wife - with SMAP's Takuya Kimura in the lead.

Though the film is still a full year from release the first teaser has already been released and it's looking good.