Black Butler Arrives in Live Action

There's great news for Manga fans. Black Butler, based on the best-selling series written and illustrated by Yana Toboso, is making its long awaited entry into the theatrical arena. Hiro Mizushima stars as the arrogant, demonic butler Sebastian with the movie being directed by Kentaro Otani (Nana) and Keiichi Sato (Asura)

In the story (adapted from the source material), mummified dead bodies of various dignitaries from around the world are being discovered with a mysterious tarot card left beside them at the scene.

Kiyoharu is the young head of the Genpo noble family, owners of a massive toy manufacturing enterprise. He also functions as a secret watchdog for the Queen, a service that his family has provided for generations. The Queen orders Kiyoharu to solve the mummification incidents, and he starts to investigate. He is supported by his perfect butler, Sebastian, who is actually a demon.

Kiyoharu has been hiding his true female identity since his parents’ tragic death 10 years earlier. In return for perfect service to his master in public and private, Sebastian will receive his master’s soul after Kiyoharu achieves revenge for the murder of his parents. Who is really behind the killings and will Kiyoharu find out who killed his parents?

As a Manga fan, this looks promising and should do justice to a strong franchise. To give some context, the original comic was written and illustrated by Yana Toboso and serialized in the monthly G-Fantasy, published by Square Enix. It has also been adapted into an animated series and even had on stage musical and video game spin-offs. Since the birth of the comic in 2006, it has sold 19 million copies worldwide. It has even been translated into over 20 languages and sold in 42 countries and territories. A major commodity by any standard!

As a live action adaptation there is also a lot riding on this. With the visuals and action looking promising, despite creative changes to the story and characters, here’s to a faithful evolution of the Black Butler universe and a step up for these genre titles.

Black Butler arrives in UK cinemas on 17 October 2014 from Warner Bros UK. Be sure to check out the trailer below!