Professor Layton film finally coming to North America

Good news for gentlemanly purveyors of devious puzzles, fine teas and refined animated cinema. Viz Media, a San Francisco company specializing in the localization of Japanese entertainment for English speakingconsumers, announced during theAnime Expo 2011in Los Angelesit will be bringing the anime film Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva to inquisitive North American audiences.

Originally releasedin Japan in 2009, and later shipped to the UK via Manga Entertainment in 2010, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva is the first filmic adaptation of the handheld puzzle game series.It takes place three years before the events in Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and follows Professor Hershel Layton and his boy assistant Luke Triton as they tussle with old foes and life-or-death puzzle games while in pursuit of eternal life and the lost land of Ambrosia.

The movie closely resembles the visual style and tone of the Professor Layton games, and even allows viewers a moment or two to solve the on-screen puzzles before moving along. The games' developer Level-5, which also had a significant hand in the film's production, has already announced its intentions to create a sequel to the film, and further entries every winter depending on their success.

For the time being, Viz Media didn't say if it would be seeking a full-out theatrical release in North America for Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, but given the franchise's relatively small demographic outside of Japan, odds are Layton's western fan base will be shouting out answers in the comfort of their own home.

Jul 5, 2011

[Source:Anime Your Way ]

CATEGORIES

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Latest in Puzzle
the last campfire screenshot showing the protagonist talking to a giant frog
Can't wait for the No Man's Sky dev's new game Light No Fire? Well, its latest and much smaller game is $1.49 in the Steam Spring Sale 2025
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Once Upon a Puppet
The emotional journey behind indie adventure Once Upon a Puppet reinvents puzzle-platforming through a magical, theatrical lens
Key art for Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE showing the Prince rolling a Katamari as the King of All Cosmos sits at a livestreaming setup.
The first all-new Katamari Damacy game in almost 8 years is trapped in Apple Arcade jail, and I can only hope it follows in Hello Kitty Island Adventure's footsteps to eventually escape
Elsewhere Electric appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
Elsewhere Electric is a co-op puzzle game with a twist: one player is in VR while the other plays on mobile
Once Upon a Puppet appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
A magical theatrical journey awaits in Once Upon a Puppet, where strings hold more than puppets
Latest in News
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter
Patrick Stewart in X-Men
Marvel fans are already theorizing how Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden's X-Men will be integrated into Avengers: Doomsday
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil's Charlie Cox isn't in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list – but Marvel fans have an idea about how he might still show up
Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Simu Liu had the best reaction to Shang-Chi’s announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, but fans think it's "criminal" there hasn’t been a direct sequel
Mario faces the camera with a thumbs up pose in Super Smash Bros. Ulimate.
Nintendo Direct March 2025 live – all the Switch news, trailers, and reveals as they happen
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rocksteady's rumored single-player Batman game is in development for PC, PS5, Xbox, and "the next generation of consoles"