GANTZ Stars Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama to Attend Hollywood Premiere

Two of Japan’s Top Actors Introduce New Sci-Fi Action Feature Debuting on 333 Screens Across North America Source: MediaLab press release Official Movie Site: gantz-movie.com (Japan), gantzmovies.com (US) Special Thanks to Erik Jansen

NEW PEOPLE, a dynamic entertainment company bringing the latest examples of Japanese popular culture to North American shores, welcomes Japanese actors Kazunari Ninomiya (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) and Kenichi Matsuyama (DEATH NOTE, DETROIT METAL CITY), for the opening of the stars’ latest feature film – GANTZ. The pair will appear in-person for the premiere of the film in Hollywood, CA on Thursday, January 20th at 5:00pm at the Mann’s Chinese 6, located in the Hollywood & Highland Mall in Hollywood, CA. Immediately following the GANTZ screening, Otaku USA Editor-in-Chief Patrick Macias will conduct a live interview session with Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama that will be telecast to the 333 theatres across the U.S. also screening GANTZ for the January 20th premiere. Fans are invited to submit interview questions via Facebook and Twitter, and also through the official GANTZ movie website at gantzmovies.com. Seating for the Mann’s Chinese 6 is limited to 400 seats, so the opportunity to purchase tickets to the screening and interview event will be awarded through a drawing. Enter sooner for a better chance to win at www.gantzmovies.com. Winners will be notified promptly via email and will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for $15.00 each. All movie attendees will also receive a special GANTZ t-shirt that can only be found at this event.

Kazunari Ninomiya, best known in America for his role in Clint Eastwood’s 2006 blockbuster, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, is both an actor and a singer. He is also world-renowned as a member of the Japanese boy band “Arashi,” which topped Japan’s music charts in 2009 with the three best-selling singles. Kenichi Matsuyama is currently one of the most sought-after actors in Japanese film and he has won several awards including Japanese Academy Awards for Best New Actor (2007) and Most Popular Actor (2009). Matsuyama is widely recognized for his part as L in DEATH NOTE (2006), DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME (2006) and DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd (2008) and also for his portrayal of Johannes Krauser II in the outlandish rock and roll comedy, DETROIT METAL CITY (2008). GANTZ makes its U.S. premiere in 333 movie theaters in an exclusive one-night-only event presented by NCM Fathom, Dark Horse Comics, and NEW PEOPLE on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT (tape delayed). Tickets (for all locations except Hollywood, CA) are available at participating theater box offices and online at FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit EventTheatresReport_gantz (theaters and participants are subject to change). GANTZ (English dubbed) is based on a hit manga series created by Hiroya Oku and tells the story of childhood friends Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, who are accidentally killed while trying to save another man’s life. Rather than find themselves in the hereafter, however, they awaken in a strange apartment in which they find a mysterious black orb they come to know as “GANTZ.” Along with similar abductees, they are provided with equipment and weaponry and manipulated into playing a kind of game in which they are sent back out to the greater world to do battle with alien beings, all while never quite knowing whether this game is an illusion or their new reality.

About NEW PEOPLE

Based in San Francisco, California, NEW PEOPLE offers the latest films, art, fashion and retail brands from Japan through its unique entertainment destination as well as licensing and distribution of selective Japanese films. NEW PEOPLE strives to offer the most entertaining motion pictures straight from the "Kingdom of Pop" for audiences of all ages, especially the manga and anime generation, in North America. Some titles include DEATH NOTE, KAMIKAZE GIRLS, and THE TASTE OF TEA. For more information about films, please visit viz-pictures.com. To learn more about NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco, please visit newpeopleworld.com.

For more information on GANTZ please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: