If you haven’t heard, Gintama is getting a live-action movie adaptation in 2017!

Gintama started off as a manga in 2003, capturing the hearts of fans with its unique historical-science fiction mashup setting, countless parodies and interesting characters. It gained an even larger following after its anime adaptation was rolled out in 2006, and, now, the live-action film of our favourite Edo-period sci-fi comedy series is slated to hit the big screens some time next year!

Fans have been abuzz since news of the live-action movie was announced in June this year, but equal amounts of excitement and doubt have been in the air since the official announcement of the main cast was made earlier this month.

▼ Starring as the lead protagonist, Gintoki Sakata, is one of Japan’s most popular actors, Shun Oguri.

▼ Masaki Suda takes the role of Gintoki’s bespectacled sidekick, Shinpachi Shimura.

▼ The series’ lead female protagonist, Kagura, will be played by Kanna Hashimoto.

▼ Kotarou Katsura will be played by Masaki Okada. (We’re curious as to how they’re going to portray Elizabeth!)

▼ Tsuyoshi Muro will be acting as Gengai Hiraga, Edo’s most prolific inventor.

▼ Masami Nagasawa stars as Shinpachi’s sister, Tae Shimura.

Gintama would be boring without the wonderful friend and foe relationship between Gintoki Sakata and the uniformed hotshots from the Shinsengumi, so it’s no surprise that they’ll be featured in the film too!

▼ Kabuki actor Kankuro Nakamura leads the Shinsengumi cast as Commander and “gorilla” Isao Kondo.

▼ Ryou Yoshizawa will be wielding his sword as Sougo Okita.

▼ Toushirou Hijikata, arguably the hottest guy in the Shinsengumi, will be brought to life by Yuya Yagira.

Recent live-action film adaptations of manga and anime haven’t had tremendous success at the box office, and some fans are worried that the Gintama live-action movie will follow in its predecessors’ footsteps. Internet users have voiced some concerns, the most prominent one being whether Kanna Hashimoto, the “once in a millennium” idol, will be able to pull of the un-idol-like stuff her character Kagura is known for, such as picking her nose and puking something other than a rainbow.

▼ To disperse concerns, Hashimoto has revealed on Twitter she will be pulling no punches with her performance as the lovable but crass heroine.

▼ In a recent tweet, Hashimoto also mentions that she has finished filming a vomiting scene, in which she was advised by the director and Shinpachi to throw up like the Merlion of Singapore.

Another interesting question raised by fans was, if Shun Oguri is cast as Gintoki, who is going to play Shunnosuke Oguri (a parody character of the lead actor himself)?

It is unknown whether Shunnosuke Oguri will be making a cameo appearance in the movie, but one thing we know for sure is that the cast is absolutely stellar! With so many big screen favourites onboard, this will definitely be quite the show…right?

That will remain a mystery until the movie is released, but in the meantime, check out the film’s official website or Twitter account for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes images!

Source/top image: Twitter/@gintama_film

Follow Joan on Twitter, where she mumbles randomly about anime and manga that may or may not include Gintama.