Sega's long-running Yakuza video game series about highly organized crime and orphanage management in Japan is headed to the big screen; Variety reports that Sega has signed a deal with 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content to develop a live-action Yakuza movie.

"Yakuza provides a new setting for a compelling story with complex characters in a unique environment that audiences have rarely seen before," 1212 Entertainment told the site. The saga of Kazuma Kiryu has a cinematic charm all its own. It is a mix of moving action with bursts of comedy, multiple converging story lines, and a gripping journey toward redemption.

The first game in the series debuted on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, but did not appear on the PC until 2018, with the prequel Yakuzo 0. 2019 saw the follow-up Yakuza Kiwami and Kiwami 2, remakes of the first two games in the series.

Fans of the series may recall that this is not actually the first film based on the Yakuza game. That honor apparently goes to "Yakuza: Like a Dragon". Sounds like a hell of a lot of fun.

1212 and Wild Sheep are still looking for a screenwriter, so naturally there is no word yet on a release date. The next installment in the Yakuza series, also titled Like a Dragon but unrelated to the film, will be released on November 13.