Mangaka Koyama Chuuya's popular comic, "Uchuu Kyoudai", has been picked up for a live-action adaptation!

The manga, which has been serialized in "Morning" magazine since January 2008, will be released as a live-action movie starring Oguri Shun and Okada Masaki. The movie will tell the story of two boys who aim to become astronauts. Oguri will play the role of the fuzzy-haired older brother, Mutta, and Okada will play the astronaut and younger brother Hibito.

Lately, there's been much attention drawn to developments in space technology, especially because of the recent return to Earth of the unmanned space probe, "Hayabusa".�"Uchuu Kyoudai" is set slightly further in the future, as the story takes place in 2025.�'Hibito' (Okada) becomes a member of the first NASA crew to have an extended stay on the moon, and Mutta (Oguri) is fired from his automotive design company, which sparks him to become an astronaut as well.

Koyama based the manga on information from NASA and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and also drew richly from his own imagination to illustrate the trials and tribulations of the two brothers.

To celebrate the movie adaptation, the March 24th issue of "Morning" will feature "Live-Action Mutta and Hibito" on the cover and in its photo inserts. The movie is set to be released in Summer 2012.



Source + Photos: Oricon Style