According to The Hollywood Reporter, New Line Cinema has acquired feature film rights to Monster, a best-selling Japanese manga comic book series from author Naoki Urasawa.
Monster is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a young doctor who saves the life of a little boy only to find out a few years later that the life he saved was that of a brilliant killer. The doctor must then track down the young killer and solve a larger conspiracy.
Urasawa is a manga master in Japan, where Monster has been adapted into an animated television series and has spawned 18 volumes as a manga series. The Monster mangas have sold more than 25 million copies in Japan, and it has a strong following in Asia and Europe, the trade reports.
Shogakukan Inc., is executive producing the project. Shogakukan was behind the "Pokemon" series. Trilogy produced "The Outer Limits" TV series as well as the TV version of "Carrie." Feature credits include "Backdraft" and "Blown Away."