The cover for the 31st issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine seems to be filled with juicy announcements. Following the reveal that
Hunter x Hunter was going on hiatus, and that
Tite Kubo was entering the final chapters of Bleach, we also have word that a live-action Gintama movie is currently in the works, with a 2017 release date. Shun Oguri will star as Gintoki Sakata while Yūichi Fukuda will write and direct the film adaptation. Last week, it was reported that WB Japan had registered a "Gintama-Film.com" domain name so the announcement is not a complete surprise. However, fans weren't necessarily expecting to learn that the film was already so far along.
Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga began publishing in 2003 and annually ranks as one of the country's top sellers. An anime adaptation aired from 2006 to 2015 (with several, extended hiatuses). To date, there have been 62 volumes of the manga released, along with several light novels, video games and anime films.