Anchor Bay Will Distribute BATTLE ROYALE Franchise In the U.S.

Fans of Kinji Fukasaku’s smash hit Battle Royale will have a reason to put a smile on their face as the distributing company Anchor Bay is planning to release the popular Japanese film and its sequel in the U.S.

This year marks the 10th anniversary since Kinji Fukasaku released one of the most successful films ever distributed by Toei. At this year’s American Film Market, Toei decided to present the film to international buyers which drew the attention of over 50 distributors from 13 countries, but it was Anchor Bay that walked away with the American rights to the film. Toei claims the sale marks their biggest financial deal for a film in the US to date.

Battle Royale was apparently offered nearly a decade ago but North America never picked it up, despite the upward surge with cult success of the Japanese horror films, due to the events at Columbine.

Director Fukasaku died in 2003 while Battle Royale II was in the very early stages of filming but his son Kenta took over the sequel for his late father and had a big part in adapting the film to 3D.

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act. The film is based on the novel of the same name.

Battle Royale 3D will be released in Japan on November 20, 2010. Although details are not yet finalized, Anchor Bay plans to release it in the U.S. sometime in 2011.