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Ayame Gōriki Plays All-New Master in Live-Action Black Butler

Actress Ayame Gōriki (live-action Gatchaman) will star in the live-action film adaptation of Yana Toboso's popular manga Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji) early next year. She will play a brand-new master to the enigmatic title character Sebastian, played by Hiro Mizushima (Zettai Kareshi - Kanzen Muketsu no Koibito Robot).

While the original manga is set in 19th century England, this new film is set over 130 years later in 2020, in an Asian city where Western and Asian cultures freely intermingle. Gōriki will play Shiori Genpō, a descendant of the prestigious aristocratic family Phantomhive. Since only males can take the reins of the family, Shiori dons male clothes and the name Kiyoharu to lead the massive Phantom Corporation. This will be first time that Gōriki plays a girl who assumes a male disguise.

Mizushima's Sebastian Michaelis character is a demonic butler with impeccable knowledge, manners, grace, cooking skills, martial arts, looks, and more. Like Ciel in the original manga, Shiori has a seal in her right eye as a symbol of her contract with Sebastian. Sebastian watches over and protects Shiori, but at a price — he consumes her soul.

Kentaro Otani (NANA) and Keiichi Satou (Tiger & Bunny, Karas, Asura) are co-directing the film. This will be the first time since Beck three years ago that Mizushima is starring in a film.

The manga debuted in Square Enix's Monthly G Fantasy magazine in 2006, and its 16 volumes thus far have 15 million copies in print, including those published in 42 countries and territories. The manga already inspired a television anime series in 2008 and a stage play in 2009. It received the top prize in the shōnen manga category of France's Japan Expo Awards in 2010 and the Best International Manga Award in Germany's ANImagic in 2011.

The film begins shooting this month. Mizushima previously played another eminently capable butler inspired by a manga series, Mei-chan no Shitsuji.

Source: Comic Natalie, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web

Images © 2014 Yana Toboso/Square Enix © 2014 Black Butler the Movie Production Committee