In a recent interview conducted by ANN, the director of the Witcher series, Tomek Baginski, who is also directing the Knights Of Zodiac live-action movie, commented that the Knights movie franchise and philosophy is comparable to Marvel cinematic universe.

He added that the anime series has several characters like that of Marvel, with each having their own backstory and in depth lore.

However, they were facing an issue on how to bring all such multi faceted characters in a single movie. Although, they did finalize on a script that helps them convey their story in a much better way.

He further went on to explain how his journey was while converting an anime into a live-action movie. He says his work with the Witcher series helped him understand the transition from games/novels/comics (manga). Furthermore, his background in animation when he started his journey also helped him understand the genre more.

He also added, that he was a fan of the Seiya series in his childhood as it aired in Poland.

Coming back to the movie, Tomek added that he is focused on bringing Seiya’s conflict with himself from the anime series to the live-action. This was due to the fact that Seiya’s character growth is highly dependent on this factor, and also the original creator of the series, Mr. Kuramada, has always displayed this inner conflict of the hero in Saint Seiya and his other works.

Tomek further adds, that the movie perfectly captures the heart, story, lore and action of the manga and anime. They have Shang-Chi: The Legends Of The Ten Rings action choreographer as their action choreographer and action director.

In addition, Tomek mentioned that he had a rough time finalizing dates with the actors and his scheduled clashed with the second season of the Witcher. However, he somehow managed to get all the actors on board and also finish his work.

When asked about the amazing armors the characters don in the anime, Tomek says it is a surprise for fans and they won’t reveal it yet.

The Witcher director was accompanied by the producer of the Knights Of Zodiac movie, who was part of the latest Saint Seiya anime adaptation.

The project had been in development for years and suffered several production delays before finally shooting this year. Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken (10 Cloverfield Lane) wrote the most recent drafts.

The Japanese-American actor Mackenyu will be the leading actor “Pegasus Seiya” (Seiya), Madison Iseman will star in Saori (Sienna), Sean Bean is the recruiter of the Knights, and Seiya’s mentor Alman Kiddo; other actors include Famke Janssen, Nick Stahl, Diego Tinoco, and Mark Dacascos Et al.

The filming took place in Hungary and Croatia. According to production news, the shooting has already concluded.

Toei will be responsible for distribution in Japan, while Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will distribute the film everywhere else, except for China and Middle East countries. Also, the movie is 100% produced by Toei Animation.

While there is no confirmed release date, some fans believe that the “Saint Seiya” live-action movie won’t come out until 2023.

As is pretty typical with all announcements pertaining to live-action adaptations, anime fans remain skeptical about how well this version of “Saint Seiya” will turn out.

Source: Anime News Network