Jul 01 (hollywoodreporter.com) - Leading Japanese pay TV broadcaster Wowow has greenlit a live-action TV series spin-off of the legendary anime series Yatterman.
Titled Doronjo, the new series will tell the prequel story of the influential female villain of the same name from the original Yatterman series. A pop cultural icon in Japan, Doronjo is arguably the anime world’s equivalent to Harley Quinn or Catwoman. Originally broadcast in Japan on Saturday evenings from 1977 to 1979, Yatterman became a phenomenon in the country, influencing a generation of anime fans and creators. The series later broadcast in Spain, Italy, Poland and several other Asian countries, becoming a global hit.
Popular Japanese actress Elaiza Ikeda (The Virgin Psychics, Maw) has been cast to star as Doronjo and the series will be co-directed by Eisuke Naito and Hatsuki Yokoo. Producers are Masaki Yamada, Yusuke Kobayashi and Megumi Hoshino. Series writers are Kohei Kiyasu, Eisuke Naito, Satoshi Oshio and Midori Sato.
“The shocking past of the sadly beautiful dark heroine Doronjo will be revealed over 11 episodes premiering in October,” Wowow said in a statement. “A new interpretation from a completely new perspective will show how Doronjo became Doronjo.”
The original Yatterman was produced by Tatsunoko Production, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. A remake of the anime series was produced in 2008, and a spin-off animation series was produced in 2015, while the first live-action feature film was released in 2009. Doronjo will the property’s fist live-action series, however.
