Film opens July 14 in Japan

The official website for the live-action film of the Gintama manga announced on Tuesday that the rock band UVERworld (Blue Exorcist, The Heroic Legend of Arslan) is performing the theme song. The band's vocalist TAKUYA∞ wrote and composed the song "DECIDED" specifically for the film.

The film will open in Japan on July 14.

Fukuda (live-action HK/Hentai Kamen , Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store ) is directing the film, as well as penning the script. The film's cast includes:



Shun Oguri as Gintoki Sakata, the protagonist who runs the Yorozuya shop



Masaki Suda as Shinpachi Shimura, who works at Yorozuya



Kanna Hashimoto as Kagura, another Yorozuya employee



Masaki Okada as Kotarō Katsura, Gintoki's longtime sworn friend, alongside Elizabeth



Masami Nagasawa as Tae Shimura, a physically strong girl and sister of Shinpachi



Tsuyoshi Muro as Gengai Hiraga, the proprietor of Karakuri-dō



Jiro Sato as Henpeita Takechi



Nanao as Matako Kijima



Tsuyoshi Domoto as Shinsuke Takasugi (left), Hirofumi Arai as Nizō Okada (right)



Ken Yasuda as Tetsuya Murata



Akari Hayami as Tetsuko Murata



Kankurō Nakamura VI as Isao Kondo, a Shinsengumi commander



Yuuya Yagira as Toshiro Hijikata, a Shinsengumi member who is most popular with girls



Ryo Yoshizawa as Sougo Okita, a sharp-tounged Shinsengumi member





Sorachi began the manga in 2004 and it continues to be ranked among the top-selling manga in Japan. The manga has more than 50 million copies in print in Japan. Viz Media published the first 23 volumes in English. Shueisha published the manga's 68th volume in Japan on April 4. The manga entered its final arc last July.

The manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2006 and continued (with several extended hiatuses) until 2013. The fifth and latest Gintama television anime series premiered on January 8, the show began airing reruns in April. Crunchyroll streamed the most recent series as it aired in Japan, and is also streaming English-dubbed episodes. The manga also inspired two anime films, including the "final" Gekijōban Gintama Kanketsu-hen: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare film that opened in 2013, and various OVAs and event anime.

[Via Comic Natalie]