It seems we have a few new details regarding the upcoming live-action adaptation of the classic anime Space Battleship Yamato. While it was previously announced that actor and SMAP member, Takuya Kimura landed gthe leading role for the film, it seems that Meisa Kuroki will be replacing Erika Sawajiri for the role of Yuki Mori.

Additionally, several characters will be modified to fit the new script. Aihara and Dr.Sado were written as female characters for the film, and will be played by Maiko and Reika Takashima. It's an interesting change, and reminds me of what they did with the recent Battlestar Galactica. In that case, it ended up working very well for that series, so I can see how it might work here.

Apparently the rest of the roles, with the exception of Desslar, have also been cast. The list includes Toshiyuki Nishida as Hikozaemon Tokugawa, and Tsutomu Yamazaki as Juzo Okita. Others include Shinichi Tsutsumi as Mamoru Kodai, Isao Hashizume as Heikuro Todo, Toshiro Yanagiba as Shiro Sanada,  Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as Hajime Saito, and finally, Naoto Ogata as Daisuke Shima.

It should also be noted that both Shinichi Tsutsumi and Toshiyuki Nishida have both received awards for best supporting actor by the drama academy in the past. The cast seems really promising so far, and I really hope it turns out for the best. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until the estimated release date of December 2010 before we get a chance to see.