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Funimation Announces The Empire of Corpses Film's Theatrical Dates

North American anime distributor Funimation confirmed on Friday that it will screen The Empire of Corpses film "in select theaters" on April 19 and 20. The film adapts the zombie steampunk novel of the same name by the acclaimed late author Project Itoh.

Funimation is also streaming a teaser trailer for the film:

Funimation describes the story:

From the studio that produced Attack on Titan comes a captivating historical action thriller based on an award-winning novel by Project Itoh. In an alternate version of 19th century London, the world has been revolutionized by “corpse reanimation technology” creating armies of undead who serve the living as laborers across the globe.

In an attempt to revive his dearly departed friend, young medical student John Watson becomes obsessed with replicating the work of Dr. Victor Frankenstein—the legendary corpse engineer whose research produced the only re-animated corpse to possess a soul. But when his illegal experiments put him at odds with the British government, Watson is drafted into a worldwide race to find the lost research notes of Victor Frankenstein before the secrets of the human soul fall into the wrong hands.

The film's Japanese cast stars:

• Yoshimasa Hosoya as John H. Watson, a medical student at the University of London
• Ayumu Murase as Friday, also known as Noble_Savage_007
• Taiten Kusunoki as Frederick Barnaby, a captain in Great Britain's army
• Daiki Yamashita as Nikolai Krasotkin, a young man from Russia's Third Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery
• Shinichirō Miki as Alexei Karamazov, a Russian priest
• Kana Hanazawa as Hadary Lilith, the president's secretary from America
• Akio Ohtsuka as M, commander of Great Britain's "Walsingham Organization"

The Empire of Corpses opened in theaters in Japan on October 2. Funimation will release the film and two more films based on Project Itoh novels — Harmony and Genocidal Organ — in North America. However, Genocidal Organ has been delayed as its animation production shifted from the bankrupt Manglobe studio to the new Geno Studio. EGOIST (Psycho-Pass, Guilty Crown) is performing theme songs for all three films.

Each novel film adaptation is from a different director and studio. Shukou Murase (Witch Hunter Robin, Gangsta., Ergo Proxy) is directing Genocidal Organ at formerly Manglobe (The Unlimited - Hyōbu Kyōsuke, House of Five Leaves) and now at Geno Studio, Takashi Nakamura (Fantastic Children) and Michael Arias (Tekkonkinkreet) directed Harmony at Studio 4°C (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King, Tweeny Witches), and Ryōtarō Makihara directed The Empire of Corpses at WIT STUDIO (Attack on Titan, Hozuki no Reitetsu).

Project Itoh released Genocidal Organ as his debut novel in 2007, and his final novel, Harmony, debuted in Japan in 2008. Project Itoh wrote Harmony and the novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots while he was being treated for the cancer that ultimately took his life in 2009. The Japanese film website Cinema Today reported in 2012 that film adaptation rights were being pitched in Hollywood.

Viz Media's Haikasoru imprint has published three of Itoh's full-length novels in English, excluding The Empire of Corpses. Tomoyuki Hino launched a manga adaptation of The Empire of Corpses in the October issue of Kadokawa's Monthly Dragon Age magazine on September 9.

Thanks to WTK for the news tip