YamaPi (Yamashita Tomohisa) has just gone on tour with his NEWS mates, after wrapping his upcoming movie Ashita no Joe, a live-action adaptation of a classic old-school Japanese boxing manga.

Word is Pi is open to doing a drama next, and I for one hope it’s more Buzzer Beat and less….everything else. The Nobuta (and to an even greater extent, Dragon Zakura) days are behind us, no use bemoaning it, no one is ever going to buy Pi as a high school student, much less a spacey, adorable, zany but whowouldathunk-it-sane, touching little uniformed alien.

THIS (see below) is Pi now. Yeah, this boy is not in high school anymore, Toto. (Sorry it’s such a fuzzy picture, but his abs need to be appreciated on a larger scale). Apparently to train for the role of Joe, Pi worked out even more (LOL, didn’t think that was possible after staring at his manboobs in BB), and is now down to 5% body fat. Yikes, somebody please feed my gaunt Pi.

Ashita no Joe isn’t opening until February 2011, but early snippets from the film are starting to get released. Below are some stills gleaned from the teaser trailer, which I have also embedded. The trailer looks good, and I even like the dun-DUN-DUNNN music which introduces the visual gritty atmosphere of the world of Yabuki Joe, our protagonist. I’m definitely going to check it out, even though boxing and boxing movies are not my thang normally.

Ashita no Joe Teaser Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn7wsZNpAgQ

Oh, and this Hottie plays the Drago-esque character in the movie, clearly Joe’s rival in boxing glory. The actor’s real name is Yusuke Iseya, and he’s made pretty much only J-movies in his career. And he’s a certified heavy-weight method actor. Cannot wait to see him act, and to see Pi look pretty and manly.