The horror manga created by Junji Ito has been adapted for the big screen in a variety of forms, ranging from live-action movies like Higuchinsky's Uzumaki to the most recent attempt at an anime adaptation, Junji Ito Maniac: Tales of the Macabre, with wildly varying levels of success in each of these adaptations. Now, another one of his short stories, Bloodsucking Darkness, is in the process of being adapted into a live-action feature picture by Fangoria Productions and Jeff Howard, who wrote The Haunting of Hill House.
This is only the first of three projects that Fangoria Studios hopes to adapt from the Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection manga, which VIZ Media released in English on April 16, 2019, all according to the initial announcement.
VIZ describes Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection like so
Try not to be noticed when you eat the secret nectar, otherwise you’ll get smashed… What horrific events happened to create the earthbound—people tied to a certain place for the rest of their short lives? Then, a strange haunted house comes to town, but no one expects it to lead to a real hell… Welcome to Junji Ito’s world, a world with no escape from endless nightmares.
Bloodsucking Darkness doesn't yet have a director, but will have Howard working as one of the executive producers in addition to scripting it. Additional producers include Junji Ito himself, Tara Ansley, Armen Aghaeian, and Abhi Goel from Fangoria Studios, as well as Yasu Kutami and Tsubasa Yamaguchi from Amuse Group USA. Ryan Lewis and Joe Riley of Zero Gravity Management, as well as Kevin Nicklaus and Phil Wurtzel of Friel Films, will serve as executive producers.
Here's what Junji Ito had to say about the announcement:
“Fangoria Studios is going to adapt my manga! I’m so excited to see how it will turn out. I hope I get to see the trailer in my dreams tonight.”
Jeff Howard shared the following comment:
“When I found out a live action Junji Ito adaptation was going to happen, I chased after it with everything I had, because I just couldn’t live with anyone else getting there before me. The combination of fear and feelings is where I always want to be.”
Let us know your thoughts about the live-action film adaptation of Bloodsucking Darkness in the comments below!