The early North American window for the film adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s Sand Land has been revealed.
According to Anime News Network, the series will officially arrive in North America around 2024; however, Sand Land will be shown at the upcoming 26th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. The film will open in Japan on August 18, receiving IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D releases; At the time of writing, it is unknown what kind of release Sand Land will receive in the North American market.
The film’s trailer gave viewers a glimpse of the story’s unique blend of action and humor. The promotional video also confirms multiple voice cast members such as Mutsumi Tamura (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!) as the main character Beelzebub. Other members of the cast include Kazuhiro Yamaji (Attack on Titan) as Rao, Chō (Log Horizon) as Thief, Nobuo Tobita (One-Punch Man) as General Zau, and Satoshi Tsuruoka (Psycho-Pass) as General Are. Sunrise, the animation studio behind many of the entries in Mobile Suit Gundam, is producing Sand Land, and Toriyama expressed his excitement for the film adaptation, saying, “The images I’ve seen are still many parts unfinished, but I never expected this to get a visual adaptation after more than 20 years, so the quality is like a dream come true.”
Water is scarce in the world of sandy land
Toriyama’s manga series appeared in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from May to August 2000, producing a single volume with the content. The story takes place in a desert world where both humans and demons suffer from an unbelievable scarcity of water, and it follows demon prince Beelzebub as he searches for the legendary Ghost Lake with his companion, a small town sheriff named Rao.
Because of the excitement and anticipation of the movie version, many businesses have taken advantage of the popularity of Sand Land and Toriyama to make a profit. Notably, Merry Manga has re-released the manga. The single episode is currently on sale on the company’s website for $7.25 (regular price is $9.99).
Furthermore, Bandai Namco has revealed a video game adaptation of Sand Land. Developed in Unreal Engine 5, the title, which will be available to play on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, will allow players to control Beelzebub and roam the sandy world using a number of unique vehicles. The trailer showcases the gameplay aspects and highlights the energetic soundtrack of the game.
Sand Land comics are distributed in English by VIZ Media.
Source: Anime News Network