The Nikkan Sports newspaper is reporting on Tuesday that the idol group AKB48 is getting its first anime, which will air next spring. The broadcasting station and title of the project, which will have an all-original story, are still secret. Shoji Kawamori, the co-creator of the Macross franchise and the co-director of Macross: Do You Remember Love?, is the project planner and the chief director, and Toshimichi Ootsuki (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone) is the executive producer. As the newspaper puts it, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto is "of course" planning and supervising the project.

The anime will center around nine idol candidates who aspire to be "legendary idols," in the motif of AKB48's real-life sōsenkyō (general election) Top 8.

Mari Okada (Anohana, Hanairo, Toradora) is supervising and writing the scripts, and Mikan Ehime (Macross Frontier, Gravion Zwei) is designing the characters. Yoshimasa Hiraike (Working!!/Wagnaria!!, Amagami SS, Sketchbook ~full color's~) is the actual hands-on director of the anime at Satelight (Macross Frontier, Aquarion, Shugo Chara!).

The idol group members will "battle" each other in auditions to be voice actresses in this project, and the newspaper reports that the members' standings in "sōsenkyō" (general elections) popularity contests will not be a factor. Out of 200 candidates from AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, and its other spinoffs, 30 will be selected and announced on a dedicated website in November. In the final round of auditions held in Tokyo, nine will be chosen to perform the theme song.

Source: Oricon via Moe Ota-News Sokuhō

Update: More information added.