Black Jack, created by Osamu Tezuka (also famed for Astro Boy), first debuted as a manga in November 1973. The series continued to be published for over a decade, comprising hundreds of short stories, with an average length of about 20 pages per chapter.

The narrative follows the adventures of a mysterious surgeon named Black Jack, whose unique appearance makes him instantly recognizable to fans of anime, regardless of whether they have read his original stories or not. Most of the plots revolve around Black Jack providing medical assistance to impoverished patients, often struggling against the limitations of the healthcare system.

This isn’t the first time Black Jack has been adapted into live-action format. In 1992, a feature film was released alongside a 10-episode OVA created by Tezuka’s protégé, Osamu Dezaki. Later, a 61-episode anime aired from 2004 to 2006, adapted from the original manga. In 2006, an additional 17-episode series titled Black Jack 21 was released, although it has not yet been granted international licensing. Most recently, in 2015, a new series called Young Black Jack was released, which depicted Black Jack’s earlier years as a medical student in a different storyline.

The upcoming live-action film is not the first adaptation of Black Jack into a live-action format. The first film was released in 1977, followed by a series in 1981 that made significant changes to the original manga’s storyline. Three additional films were produced in 1996, followed by three more from 2000 to 2001. Most recently, in 2011, Young Black Jack was also adapted into a live-action format, presenting a fresh take on the original Black Jack narrative.

This new live-action series from TV Asahi will be the first adaptation directly from the original manga since 2000, aiming to deliver a more faithful rendition of the core story than prior adaptations. The series will be directed by Hideo Joujou, with Yoshiko Morishita handling the screenplay and Takashi Ohmama composing the music. However, TV Asahi is not the only studio currently working on adaptations, as Beijing Enlight Pictures in China is also producing a live-action series based on the original manga.