VIZ Media has secured the license from TV Tokyo Corporation, Shueisha, and Dentsu, for Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. The feature film, which “will be aimed primarily at teens and older teens, will have a limited theatrical release in major cities throughout North America this summer with the DVD release to follow winter 2008.”
The film is inspired by the successful animated television series Bleach, which airs on Adult Swim, and which is based on the manga series by Tite Kubo (VIZ is the North American publisher).
“We are extremely excited to announce the domestic license for Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody,” said Liza Coppola, Senior Vice President of VIZ. “Bleach has emerged as one of the most popular animated, manga, and video game properties in North America, and the release of this film will no doubt captivate millions of avid fans. Filled with riveting animation and spectacular battle scenes featuring all the major characters, Bleach the Movie is ideally suited for a theatrical presentation and we look forward to making it a summer filled with epic action as this film makes its way to theatres in major markets throughout North America.”
Bleach the manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries, and sold more than 50 million copies in Japan alone. The official Bleach web site is bleach.viz.com.