Phoenix Wright the Movie: Objection Overruled!

There’s a hushed silence in the air. It is the calm before the storm. E3 is coming…

But we’re not here to talk about that today. I know, I know, you aaaaall want to hear about whats going to be at the show. But honestly, we can only make so many prediction articles about Nintendo (stealing the spotlight with new system), Sony (releasing tons of new stuff to apologize for PSN hacking, and tip-toeing around a reported $3.2 Billion loss this quarter), and Microsoft (*crickets chirping*) before even we get tired of seeing them.

In the midst of a torrent of  whispers, rumors, and speculation though, in a time where all the companies clam up and refuse to drop any tid-bits until showtime, Capcom did release one bit of solid information.

… Phoenix Wright has a movie coming.

I have to say, of all the characters Capcom could have licensed off into a movie series, I didn’t expect it to be Phoenix. Ace Attorney is a pretty popular little series, but its considered Capcom’s number 9 franchise, and we haven’t had an installment since Edgeworth’s game in ’09.  No Mega Man? No Devil May Cry? … I guess Resident Evil is already out there, to the lamentations of us all.

However, there is hope for the movie to be awesome. Or, well, not terrible, anyway. Taking up the director’s chair will be none other than Takashi Miike. Miike is famous for having crafted the grotesque gangland and horror films Ichi the Killer and Audition. While he gained notoriety for his use of extreme violence in his films, he’s often been noted by film critics and creators for his visual style, and flair for quality cinematography. Recently, he combined his eye for quality visuals and unique use of gore with serious storytelling to make the excellent action-drama 13 Assassins.

Miike’s over-the-top comedy stylings may be perfect to portray Wright, but time will tell if he can curb himself to portray such a light-hearted, and cartoony series.  Conversely, we might see Phoenix cut out Edgeworth’s intestines and choke him to death with them. Its 50/50, really.

The film’s star, Hiroki Narimiya is pictured above, in his film costume, next to the titular attorney. The rest of the cast, from the press release:

“In the movie, the main protagonist, Phoenix Wright, will be played by Mr. Hiroki Narimiya, while rival prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth, will be played by Mr. Takumi Saito. Pheonix’s assistant and spirit medium Maya Fey will be played by Ms. Mirei Kiritani.”