Highlights
- The football anime franchise Blue Lock moves into live-action cinema.
- Confirmed cast members include Fumiya Takahashi, Kaito Sakurai, Kyohei Takahashi, and Yuzu Aoki.
- With manga sales surpassing 50M copies, the Blue Lock live-action adaptation positions itself as a major cross-media release in Summer 2026.
The upcoming Blue Lock live-action adaptation has entered a new phase of development, with fresh casting details emerging in January 2026. The film was first announced during Blue Lock Egoist Fest 2025 in September 2025, alongside plans for a third anime season, marks the franchise’s ambitious crossover into live-action cinema.
Blue Lock, based on Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s manga, started airing in October 2022. Within the last three years, the franchise has positioned itself as a significant title among sports anime, with two released seasons and a spin-off, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi.
On Jan 25, 2026, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the movie published the first visual—a combined imagery of the eyes of 12 characters of team Z— of the movie. On Jan 26, the first cast member, Fumiya Takahashi, was announced. Takahashi will portray protagonist Yoichi Isagi, signaling that principal casting is underway.
Production and Casting Progress of Blue Lock Live-Action Movie
The exact plot of the live-action film is not specified yet. However, according to CREDEUS CEO Shinzo Matsuhashi, the production team closely worked with Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura (illustrator of the anime) for the script. The manga narrative is focused on protagonist Yoichi Isagi’s entry into the high-pressure selection system and his rivalry with other elite forwards, as depicted in Blue Lock anime, season 1.
The direction of the film will be handled by Yūsuke Taki, known for Land of Tanabata and Girl Gun Lady and Tetsuo Kamata will helm the screenplay. Shinzō Matsuhashi, who has previously produced Black Butler, Gintama, and Marmalade Boy live-action series, will act as a producer. CREDEUS, known for live-action Golden Kamuy film, is also producing the Blue Lock movie, while TOHO works as the distribution partner.
Thus far, five cast members have been confirmed. Following the announcement about Takahashi, on Jan 27, Kaito Sakurai joined the cast as Meguru Bachira, a popular character from the franchise. Shortly after, the official X account confirmed the casting of Hyoma Chigiri and Rensuke Kunigami, played by Kyohei Takahashi and Kōta Nomura, respectively.
Lastly, on Jan 30, Yuzu Aoki was confirmed to play Gurimu Igarashi in the movie.
The Blue Lock live-action movie is set to premiere in Summer 2026, as one of the most highly anticipated cross-media productions of the season. The timing also aligns with current franchise momentum. Despite emerging from the niche sports genre, the manga (Volumes 1-37) has recently crossed the 50M copies sales landmark.
