‘Blue Lock’ Live-Action Manga Adaptation Sets Sales With Goodfellas-Mediawan Sports Label Round 12 – EFM
Round 12, the sports-focused production and distribution label recently launched by Goodfellas and Mediawan sport, has acquired international sale rights to Blue Lock, a live-action adaptation of the hit soccer-themed manga of the same name for an EFM launch.
Written by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, illustrated by Yusuke Nomura and published by Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine, the story revolves around a secret training program established by the Japan Football Union to scout the world’s greatest striker after several years of defeat for the national team.
Three hundred high school players gather at a remote facility to compete in ruthless trials where only one will emerge as the world’s greatest and most egoistic striker. The price of failure is absolute: those eliminated are permanently banned from ever joining the Japan National Team.
Fumiya Takahashi (Kamen Rider Zero-One) stars as young hopeful Yoichi Isagi, an unknown high school player who is determined to crush 299 rivals and prove himself to be the world’s greatest ace.
He is joined in the buzzy cast by Kaito Sakurai, Kyohei Takahashi, a Japanese idol best known as a member of the J-pop group Naniwa Danshi, Kota Nomura, Yu Aoki, Sho Nishigaki, Yuki Tachibana, Raizo Ishikawa, Joey Iwanaga (Alice in Borderland), Shunya Asano, Yuki Sakurai, and Yuki Kura (Shogun).
Masataka Kubota has been cast as Jinpachi Ego, the eccentric mastermind behind the Blue Lock program. Kubota, a recipient of the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Supporting Actor, is well known for his roles in Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins and First Love, as well as Death Note and A Man. He will also star in Season 2 of Shogun. More cast announcements are expected.
TOHO will release the live-action adaptation on August 7, 2026 in Japan, on approximately 350 screens, to coincide with the Soccer World Cup.
Box office expectations for the movie are high on the back of the popularity of the manga which has sold more than 50 million copies in circulation and has been translated into 24 languages. According to stats provide by Round 12, one quarter of copies were sold outside Japan, with North America and France as leading territories.
The manga was previously adapted into an animated TV series in 2022; both seasons of which are available on Crunchyroll. Its audience is composed of 35% North American, 25% European, and 25% Latin American viewers, per Round 12.
The manga also enjoyed a theatrical animated feature film adaptation, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, which earned approximately $23.3 million at the global box office.
The film is directed by Yusuke Taki, whose credits include In Love and Deep Water (2023, Netflix original film) and Land of Tanabata (2024, Disney+ limited series). The screenplay is written by Tetsuo Kamata.
Blue Lock is produced by Kodansha and CREDEUS, the studio behind the Kingdom and Golden Kamuy series, as well as the Oscar-nominated film Kokuho.
The film is produced with the full cooperation of the Japan Football Association (JFA) and the J.League. Former Japanese national team star Daisuke Matsui serves as Soccer Supervisor to ensure authentic, world-class action.
Goodfellas will handle worldwide sales excluding Japan, Taiwan, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, CIS, Syria.
