In a recent interview with South China Morning Post, Fast & Furious fame actor Sung Kang, or better known as Han in the movie, disclosed that Shuichi Shigeno’s Initial D manga will be getting it’s second live-action adaptation, and this time it’ll be directed by none other than Sung Kang.
Not only will Sung Kang take on the directorial role for the film, but he will also be producing it.
The actor described the live-action project as an exploration of “cars, drifting, and all things cool,” and likened its style to that of iconic films like Rocky and The Karate Kid, emphasising that it’ll be a big-budget film that’ll aptly express his love for cars.
Kang is widely recognized for his passion for automobiles, and this dedication was reaffirmed when he revealed on his podcast that the iconic AE86 Corolla from the series would be featured in the film. To bring this vision to life, he reached out to Akira Nakai of RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF (RWB) to build the car.
More details on the film is yet to be revealed.
Initial D is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 tankobon volumes.
As of April 2021, Initial D had over 55 million copies in circulation
Initial D has been adapted into several anime television and original video animations series by OB Studio Comet, Studio Gallop, Pastel, A.C.G.T and SynergySP. A live action film by Avex and Media Asia was released in 2005.
MAL describes the plot of the manga as:
There is said to be a legendary “Ghost of Akina” that holds the fastest time to descend the Akina Pass. No one has ever come close to beating the record, nor has the mysterious driver of the white Toyota AE86 ever revealed themselves. Nowadays, the same AE86 can be seen every morning driving up and down the pass, making trips to a hotel residing at the top of the mountain.
Unlike his classmates and coworkers, Takumi Fujiwara did not like cars. Any conversation about them would remind him of his early morning routine of delivering tofu for his father. He did not see the appeal in street racing and knew nothing about its rules or its culture. However, when tagging along to a nighttime meetup, the appearance of a rival racing team at the Akina Pass compels Takumi to hop behind the wheel of his father’s AE86 and race them down the familiar mountain.
This spur-of-the-moment decision marks the beginning of Takumi’s high-octane journey, shifting from his daily deliveries to becoming the greatest drift racer ever. Along the way, he slowly finds and kindles his love for street racing as he comes face-to-face with a plethora of opponents, each ready to take on the renowned Ghost of Akina.
Source: South China Morning Post
