Sony Pictures delves into the prickly world of anime adaptations next month with Knights of the Zodiac and Fandango has a new clip to show Mackenyu‘s Saint Seiya coming into his own. The first-ever feature film adaptation of the classic 80s manga and anime follows the headstrong street kid Seiya as he’s recruited to become a member of the titular group of knights sworn to protect the reincarnation of the goddess Athena. In order to rise and lead the knights, however, he must reflect upon his past and hone his abilities to prove he’s fit for the job.

The clip shows Seiya training with the help of his instructor Eagle Marin. To face the challenges ahead, she helps train not just his body but his mind through the use of meditation. The main goal, however, is to get Seiya to tap into the latent power that made Alman Kiddo (Sean Bean) so interested in him. In the original trailer, Seiya discovered his supernatural strength whilst fighting in the ring but learning to tap into it at will is still a challenge for him by the time he’s training with Marin. Once he lands a powerful blow on his master during a sparring match, however, it seems he’s finally discovered how to channel his inner strength, crushing stones with ease to Marin’s approval.

Mackenyu, the son of legendary Japanese actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba, has become a favorite choice when it comes to live-action anime adaptations stateside or internationally. He’s notably set to star in Netflix‘s One Piece series as Roronoa Zorro, but he’s also appeared in a pair of Fullmetal Alchemist films and in Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part 1 – The Final among other anime projects. He’ll have a strong cast surrounding him in Knights of the Zodiac too with the Game of Thrones alum Bean starring alongside Madison Iseman, Famke Janssen, Nick Stahl, Diego Tinoco, and Mark Dacascos.

When Will Knights of the Zodiac Bring Saint Seiya to Theaters?

Directing duties for the Sony Pictures project fell to Academy Award-winning Polish filmmaker Tomasz Bagiński with 10 Cloverfield Lane writer Josh Campbell penning the screenplay with Matt Stuecken and Kiel Murray. While there’s plenty of experience among that team, that hardly dissuades the typical fears that come with live-action anime adaptations. In recent years, major production companies and creatives have delivered their fair share of bombs when trying to capture the heart of the source material. There’s certainly a different feel to Knights of the Zodiac than is present in the classic anime, but Mackenyu and company hope to buck the trend and deliver something fun from the world of Saint Seiya.

Knights of the Zodiac premieres in theaters on May 12. Check out the new clip courtesy of Fandango below.

via Collider