Garo/Prince of Tennis musical actor praised by anime's Al voice actress Rie Kugimiya

The official website for the live-action film of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga revealed on Tuesday that Atomu Mizuishi (Garo - Makai no Hana, Prince of Tennis 2nd season and Seraph of the End musicals) will voice the character Alphonse Elric in the film. Alphonse will be portrayed in full CG in the film. Mizuishi won the role after auditioning with over 100 other candidates.

Mizuishi was already cast for the motion capture performance needed to create the CG effects throughout filming. Director Fumihiko Sori commented that Mizuishi and Ryōsuke Yamada, the actor for Al's brother Ed, worked well together during filming. Sori added that Rie Kugimiya, Al's voice actress in the anime adaptations, has already seen the live-action film, and she praised Mizuishi's performance and thus confirmed Sori's choice. Original manga creator Hiromu Arakawa also said that the performances of Ed and Al are great.

The film will open the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 25 for its world premiere. The film will have IMAX and 4DX screenings in Japan. It will open on about 400 screens in Japan on December 1.

Fumihiko Sori (live-action Ping Pong) is directing the film. The film stars Ryōsuke Yamada (Hey! Say! JUMP member and live-action Assassination Classroom's Nagisa) as Edward Elric, Tsubasa Honda (live-action Blue Spring Ride's Futaba) as Winry Rockbell, and Dean Fujioka (live-action Happy Marriage!?) as Roy Mustang. Other cast members include:

Fumiyo Kohinata as General Hakuro Ryuta Sato as Maes Hughes Misako Renbutsu as Riza Hawkeye Natsuna as Maria Ross Natsuki Harada as Gracia Hughes Yo Oizumi as Shou Tucker Jun Kunimura as Doctor Marco Yasuko Matsuyuki as Lust Kanata Hongou as Envy Shinji Uchiyama as Gluttony Kenjiro Ishimaru as Father Cornello

Misia will perform the film's theme song "Kimi no Soba ni Iru yo" (I'm By Your Side).

The film tells the story in one complete film. Ed is being aged up to 20 years old; he was originally 15 in the manga. Alphonse will be rendered in full CG.

Original manga creator Hiromu Arakawa is drawing a "special-edition comic" that people who attend theatrical screenings in Japan will receive.

Source: Comic Natalie