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Beck Rock Manga's Live-Action Film Footage Streamed

The official website for Yukihiko Tsutsumi's live-action film adaptation of Harold Sakuishi's Beck rock-and-roll manga has begun streaming 30 seconds of the latest footage from the film on Wednesday.

Hiro Mizushima, the star of the manga-based Absolute Boyfriend, Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e: Ikemen Paradise, and Lovely Complex projects, plays the charismatic guitarist and band leader Ryusuke Minami, while Takeru Satoh (Princess Princess D, Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies) plays the ordinary high school boy Koyuki. After a chance encounter between these two, Koyuki joins Minami's five-person rock band, Beck, on its rise to stardom.

Rounding out the band's roster are Kenta Kiritani (Crows Zero, Rookies) as the rapper Chiba, Aoi Nakamura (Shinigami no Ballad., Q.E.D., Koizora) as the drummer Yuji Sakurai, and Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Monochrome Factor, Mei-chan no Shitsuji) as the bass guitarist Taira.

A 15-second version of the new footage also appeared on the NTV television program Zoom In!! Super on Wednesday. The film will feature about 30 original songs, although the real-life production team of the songs has yet to be announced. Director Yukihiko Tsutsumi (20th Century Boys, Trick, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, H2) began shooting the film at the beginning of last July, and Shochiku will distribute the film in Japan this fall.

The original manga ended in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in 2008 in Japan, and 15 million copies of the 34 volumes have been published since it began in 1998. Whereas Koyuki was the protagonist of the original manga, the film will focus on Ryusuke. Tokyopop published the first 12 volumes in North America, and Funimation completed its release of 2004-2005's BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad anime version in 2008.

Source: Eiga.com