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Hollywood Reporter: Film Adaptation of Cyborg 009 'in Development' (Update 2)

The Hollywood Reporter newspaper's Heat Vision blog is reporting on Monday that Ishimori Productions, the company founded by Cyborg 009's Shōtarō Ishinomori, is exploring "taking the [Cyborg 009] property to the big-screen and a transmedia level." The website is also reporting that writer-producer FJ DeSanto (co-producer on The Spirit film) will act as a producer on the feature film, and other potential Ishimori Productions projects.

The Heat Vision blog does not specify if the film will be live-action or animation.

DeSanto and Bradley Cramp (Invertigo) are currently writing the story for a new graphic novel that "reimagines" the classic science-fiction manga Cyborg 009 "from a modern, Western aesthetic." The North American graphic novel publisher Archaia Publishing is teaming up with Ishimori Productions on the project, and plans to publish the work around Comic-Con 2013. Marcus To will draw the artwork for the graphic novel. The Heat Vision blog posted an image from the new graphic novel alongside an image from Ishinomori's original manga (pictured above right). Archaia Publishing will discuss the new graphic novel project and reveal more art at Comic-Con this weekend.

In the original manga, the secret Black Ghost organization transforms nine unsuspecting humans into cyborgs. However, the nine cyborgs turn on their masters and protect the rest of humanity from Black Ghost's plans for world war.

The Heat Vision blog does not specify any connection between this film and the upcoming 009 Re:Cyborg 3D-animated film directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East) that will open in more than five Asian regions simultaneously, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea. The film distributor T-Joy will release the film in Japan on October 27.

The Nikkei news source had reported in late 2009 that a work by Ishinomori would be adapted into a live-action and computer-graphics film in Hollywood in 2012.

Update: More background information added.

Update 2: Archaia Publishing's website lists that Marcus To (Red Robin, The Huntress), not Trevor Hairsine, is drawing the art for the graphic novel series. Archaia Publishing also confirmed that the proposed feature film would be a live-action film. Thanks, topleka and Liam.