Legendary horror mangaka Junji Ito will voice a character in the upcoming anime adaptation of his Uzumaki manga. The announcement was made on the Twitter account for the anime project this past Saturday.
The Twitter account released a video teasing Ito's involvement in the project, showcasing him in the recording booth. The video comes with a disclaimer stating that the character Ito is voicing can't be revealed just yet.
Merry Christmas🌀 pic.twitter.com/frgwKjDsx7
— UzumakiAnime (@UzumakiAnime1) December 24, 2021
The four-episode mini-series will premier sometime in October 2022. Studio Drive is producing the anime, with Mushishi and Detroit Metal City director Hiroshi Nagahama spearheading the project. Montreal-based composer Colin Stetson will be handling the series' music. Stetson has collaborated with a myriad of artists over the years, including Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, BadBadNotGood, and many more. Stetson has also composed the music for Ari Aster's Hereditary, contributed to the Red Dead Redemption 2 score, and will contribute music to the upcoming Netflix Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.
The Uzumaki manga was serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine from 1998-1999, amassing three collected volumes. The series is one of Ito's most recognized and popular works, standing as a fan favorite. It was nominated for an Eisner Award in the category of "Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material" in 2003, and has been well-reviewed by critics over the years.
A live-action film adaptation was released in 2000 in Japan. Ukraninan-born director Higuchinsky reportedly attempted to make the 90-minute film as faithful to the original manga as possible. The film was met with mixed reception, with many praising the atmosphere of the film. Uzumaki was released as a double bill alongside Tomie: Replay, another film adaptation of a popular Ito manga.
VIZ Media licenses the Uzumaki manga in English. The series was initially published in the now-defunct Pulp magazine. The anime is set to premiere on Adult Swim's Toonami before it's released in Japan.
Source: Anime News Network