The science-fiction manga Space Brothers is getting its first anime film next summer. Original manga creator Chūya Koyama wrote the brand-new story, and the ongoing television anime's director Ayumu Watanabe is helming the film at A-1 Pictures. Hiroaki Hirata and Kenn are reprising their roles as Mutta Nanba and Hibito Nanba, respectively.

The manga's story follows two brothers, Mutta and Hibito, who made a vow as kids to travel to space. The younger brother Hibito did become an astronaut, but not Mutta. However, Mutta's life changes one fateful day.

Koyama launched the manga in Kodansha's Morning magazine in 2007, and the manga's 22 volumes and spinoff books have 14 million copies in print. It won the General categories in both the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards and the 35th Kodansha Manga Awards in 2011.

The manga not only inspired the ongoing television anime series (pictured below), but also a live-action film starring Shun Oguri and Masaki Okada. The live-action film earned 1.5 billion yen (about US$15 million). Crunchyroll is posting both the manga and the television anime online, and Sentai Filmworks licensed the television anime for North America.

Film distributor Warner Brothers registered the domain uchukyodai-movie.com on November 15. The domain's website has the tagline, "What do you think of, when you think of 'astronaut'?"

Source: Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web

Image © Space Brothers CES 2014

© Chūya Koyama, Kodansha/YTV, A-1 Pictures

© 2012 Space Brothers Production Committee