By A new report from Japanese publication Nikkan Gendai suggests that video game company Sega is looking at adapting Lost Judgment into a TV series. With the game having starred Japanese pop sensation Takuya Kimura (who also features in Wong Kar Wai’s 2046) in the lead role, he will be reprising his part and continuing the budding adventures of independent detective Yagami Takayuki in a completely different medium.
While none of this has been officially confirmed by Sega, it does make a lot of sense considering some legal issues brought up last year. Kimura belongs to talent agency Johnny’s, which is notoriously overbearing when it comes to its clients’ image. Sega and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios (responsible for both Lost Judgment and the Yakuza series) had been negotiating for months to get Lost Judgment on the PC platform but were unsuccessful as Johnny’s doesn’t want fans manipulating Kimura’s image.
Sega was considering ending the series after only the second game, but a live-action TV series might be a potential answer to this problem. Not only is a TV series said to be in the works, but a feature film is potentially on the cards for a tandem release. It may not be what many fans want, but it would keep Yagami on the radar until these legal issues can be resolved.
Considering Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios has been incredibly successful in marrying its cinematic ambitions with solid gameplay and writing, I don’t doubt that a series for Lost Judgment would be a smash hit.
Source: Nikkan Gendai, Kotaku
