Hikaru Nakamura's Black Night Parade Manga Gets Live-action Film This December

It is confirmed today that a live-action film adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura's (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Saint Young Men) Black Night Parade manga is set to be released in Japan on December 23, 2022. The film's official website has started streaming a 30-second teaser trailer introducing its main cast members - Ryo Yoshizawa as the protagonist Miharu Hino, Kanna Hashimoto as Shino Hojo, Taishi Nakagawa as Kaizer Tanaka, and Keisuke Watanabe as Teppei Kohira.

The manga was first serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump from 2016 to 2019, then has moved to the publisher's Ultra Jump since September 2019. So far seven tankobon volumes have been available in Japan.

Its story follows the protagonist Miharu Hino, a man who is hopeless at everything he does: "Failed entrance exams, failed job hunting, no girlfriend." He has been working part-time at a convenience store for three years, but one day, a man in a black Santa suit forcibly takes him away, saying, "You got a job!" Eventually, Miharu starts working at "Santa Claus House," a mysterious company located at the North Pole that distributes gifts to children all over the world.

Yuichi Fukuda, who has been working on many commercially successful live-action film adaptations of Japanese manga (Hentai Kamen, Gintama, Kyo Kara Ore Wa!), is attached to direct on a screenplay by himself and Tetsuo Kamata (Persona Non Grata). Fukuda previously worked on the live-action TV drama adaptation of Nakamura's Saint Young Men manga for three seasons in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He says, "This is the second work by Hikaru Nakamura-sensei since Saint Young Men, and as usual, the surrealism of its laughter is very interesting."

The manga author has posted a congratulatory illustration on Twitter.　

＼映画化記念イラストが到着????／#中村光最新作
『#ブラックナイトパレード』
映画化を記念して、
中村先生（@hikanaka1217）より三春たちの
描き下ろしイラストが届きました????@bnp_movie https://t.co/203IaRuKO2 pic.twitter.com/sRDmn5V7aI
— ブラックナイトパレード公式＠12/23映画化決定！ (@yj_bnp) August 1, 2022