Ryōsuke Yamada, who portrays Edward Elric in the upcoming live-action
Fullmetal Alchemist movie from WB Japan is absent from the most recent poster for the film? Although director Fumihiko Sori has previously indicated that the film is taking some pretty big liberties with Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga, they couldn't be playing THAT fast and loose...could they?
No, there's nothing too sinister about why Yamada is absent from the poster. It seems the reason is because he's represented by the
Johnny's Film Agency in Japan, who have a strict, no-photo rule for their clients. Why this rule exists is anyone's guess. Maybe it's a cultural thing? However, the marketing for the film is going to have a seriously difficult time promoting it if they can't use photographs of its lead actor.
The Fullmetal Alchemist movie recently had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 25 and will then be screened at Anime NYC on November 19. It opens wide in Japan on IMAX and 4DX screens on December 1. Funimaton will likely announce a limited theatrical run for the film in North America in the coming weeks.