UPDATE: The official trailer for Like a Dragon: Yakuza is here!
Synopsis: This Japanese action drama plunges into the dark underworld of the yakuza, exploring the universal theme of family not only through bloodline but also through ties between yakuza bosses and their underlings, orphans and their caretakers, as well as mentors and students. These relationships are marked by deep affection at times, and by intense conflict at others, all intricately intertwined. Set in the fictional town of Kamurocho, the story unfolds across two intersecting timelines—1995 and 2005.
In 1995, eager to escape their restrictive lives, Kiryu and his friends, Nishiki, Yumi, and Miho plan a heist at a local arcade. However, the arcade is under the control of the Dojima Family, a powerful yakuza organization that rules Kamurocho. They dive into the yakuza-controlled underworld of 1995 Kamurocho. Meanwhile, in 2005, Kiryu is set to be released from prison. He learns from Detective Date that his friends are in danger and decides to return to Kamurocho to protect them. However, their friendship has deteriorated, as tensions between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance are at a boiling point.
UPDATE: Star Ryoma Takeuchi and the cast and crew of Like a Dragon: Yakuza attended this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Check out the full panel below.
UPDATE: The teaser trailer for Like a Dragon: Yakuza is here!
UPDATE: After nearly four years since Sega announced the development of a live-action adaptation of Yakuza, the project is finally set for release.
Directed by Masaharu Take (The Naked Director), Like a Dragon: Yakuza stars Ryoma Takeuchi (Kamen Rider series) as Kazuma Kiryu.
The series is set in two time periods, 1995 and 2005, and follows the life, childhood friends and the repercussions of the decisions of a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.
The 6 episodes series will be released on Prime Video in two batches of 3 episodes on October 25th and November 1st with subtitled and dubbed versions in 30 languages.
SOURCE: Variety
Sega is teaming up with 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content to develop a live-action adaptation of the hit video game franchise Yakuza.
For those unfamiliar with the game, the plot follows “the story of Kazuma Kiryu being released from a 10-year prison sentence after taking the fall for the murder of his family’s patriarch. After the entire Japanese underworld is pulled into the search for $100 million stolen from the vault of his former clan, Kiryu is forced back into the lawless world of the yakuza.”
Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long will produce the project with a search for a scriptwriter underway.
“The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a built-in cinematic appeal – a mix of kinetic action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging storylines, and a gripping journey towards redemption,” said 1212 Entertainment.
Stay tuned as we learn more about casting.
SOURCE: Variety