If the amount of cosplayers in Recon Corps and full Garrison regalia at San Diego Comic-Con was any indication, excitement for Attack on Titan is still at an all-time high, and today brought a slew of good news for fans eagerly awaiting news of the live action film adaptations. While you’ll have to wait until next summer to see them, there’s plenty of exciting updates to hold you over ’til then. On Wednesday, director Shinji Higuchi revealed that the project would be split into two feature films and the story, crafted in consultation with manga creator Hajime Isayama, will introduce new characters and new, even more dangerous enemies. Considering the script is coming from Yuusuke Watanabe (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Gantz) and film critic Tomohiro Machiyama, you can bet your last canister of compressed air that this adaptation is in good hands.

The question remains, though: who will be flying the iconic 3D Maneuver Gear around Wall Maria and Wall Rose in an effort to beat back the titular Titans? The 23 year-old actor Haruma Miura was previously announced as the film’s star, likely in the role of protagonist Eren Jaeger, and today the rest of his castmates were confirmed, albeit sans roles. Joining Miura in Attack on Titan are Hiroki Hasegawa (Jellyfish Princess), Kiko Mizuhara (Norwegian Wood), Kanata Hongō (Prince of Tennis), Takahiro Miura (Space Battleship Yamato), Nanami Sakuraba (Twin Spica), Satoru Matsuo (Themae Romae), Satomi Ishihara (Sadako 3D), Pierre Taki (Linda Linda Linda), Jun Kunimura (Audition), Shu Watanabe (Kamen Rider OOO), Ayame Misaki (Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters), and Rina Takeda (High Kick Girl).

While live action anime adaptations often raise eyebrows amongst many fans, myself included, the news that Shinji Higuchi is directing the project came as a relief. Not only is Higuchi a former member of Daicon and Gainax who worked on shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but he specializes in tokusatsu films, having worked on three Gamera films in the ’90s and God Warrior Attacks for Hideaki Anno’s tokusatsu exhibit. This past December, in addition to the announcement that Higuchi would be helming the project came the reveal of a 30-second Attack on Titan-themed ad he filmed for Subaru Forester. You know, the official car of the post-apocalypse?

Does this cast have you excited? What are your thoughts on the film’s two-part nature? Let us know in the comments below.

[HT: Anime News Network, Crunchyroll]