Despite multiple attempts, the Hollywood industry still does not seem to find the right formula to successfully bring recognized works from the world of manga / anime to the live action. From stuffy productions that don’t do justice to the universes they adapt, to creative teams that seem to completely ignore what made the source material special in the first place, the list of disappointments is undeniably higher than that of “salvageable” projects. But that doesn’t mean North American growers will stop trying.
For this reason, here we present a list with 10 manga and/or anime titles with plans to receive their respective adaptation soon. live action produced in the United States.
your name
When it comes to original films within Japanese animation, few titles have captured the hearts of local and international audiences in the modern era like your name. (2016). Neither slow nor lazy, JJ Abrams, through his production company Bad Robot, obtained the rights to develop a live action in 2017. After the departure of directors like Marc Webb (500 days with her) and Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), the responsibility remains in the hands of Carlos López Estrada (Raya and the last dragon). With a reimagined version that will bring his tale of romance and tragedy to American soil, will the Mexican filmmaker be able to capture a bit of the magic of the magnum opus of Makoto Shinkai?
Pokemon
The Pokémon world has not one, but two projects on the way. Just a week after its release, Legendary Pictures confirmed a continuation of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019). Although things have cooled on that front during the pandemic, it was recently reported that the sequel is still on, presumably under the direction of Jonathan Krisel, co-creator of the series. portlandia. In parallel, Netflix announced in mid-2021 that they are already working on their own live action adaptation: an independent series by Joe Henderson, showrunner and executive producer of Lucifer. The question is: will it be better than what the movie starring Justice Smith and Ryan Reynolds offered?
My Hero Academia
The story of Izuku Midoriya and the next generation of UA Academy heroes will also receive the cinematic treatment. Legendary revealed in 2018 that it would develop a film based on the popular manga by Kōhei Horikoshi Today, we know that the direction will be carried out by Shinsuke Satō, who has extensive experience in live-actions inspired by renowned manga in Japan, their most recent work being the successful Alice in Borderland. Nevertheless, My Hero Academia It will be his first production in English and, although there are still no officially linked actors, it was speculated that he would bet on a cast of Japanese-American actors. It will be exclusive to Netflix. PLUS ULTRA?
One Punch Man
The fever for epic stories of superheroes and supervillains continues with a film of One Punch Man. With the right doses of comedy and action, here we follow the story of Saitama, a vigilante who can defeat anyone with a single blow, so he longs to find a worthy opponent after getting bored by the lack of challenges in his fight against evil. . Announced in April 2020, the Sony Pictures production will feature a script co-written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, who have already collaborated on venom (2018) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). Just last year it was confirmed that the direction will fall to the figure of Justin Lin, responsible for five installments of the franchise Fast and furious.
Death Note
Will the revenge come or will they stumble on the same stone? After the disastrous film directed by Adam Wingard in 2017, Netflix intends to tell us once again the Machiavellian battle of wits between the enigmatic Light Yagami and “L” with a new adaptation of Death Note, now in series format. Little is known so far about the approach that the platform of the red “N” will take on this occasion with respect to the original work of Tsugumi Ōba and Takeshi Obata. Still, there’s a reason to give him at least the benefit of the doubt. The Duffer brothers, creators of the phenomenon stranger thingswill take the baton through their company Upside Down Pictures.
Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam It is quite an institution when we talk about the franchises with the greatest longevity and profitability in the country of the rising sun. Will Legendary Pictures be able to expand such a fortune to the international market? The live action movie inspired by the undisputed kings of wick for over four decades was first announced at Anime Expo 2018. Endorsed by Sunrise, Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) is serving as director and producer, based on a script written by celebrated comic book author Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The last man). We still don’t have an estimated release date, but we do know that it will be an exclusive Netflix content.
Meteor
After a process that sources close to production have described as “unbearably slow”, Apple will be the home in streaming from a series inspired by the sixties classic Mach GoGoGobetter known to the Latin American public as Meteor. Ron Fitzgerald (Westworld) and Hiram Martinez (snowpiercer) will share the tasks of showrunners and scriptwriters. His “exciting reinterpretation” of the material is said to have impressed all the producers, including JJ Abrams. Of course, this isn’t the first time the racing adventures of Speed Racer and his Mach 5 car have been brought to the screen by Hollywood. Will it surpass the version of the Wachowski sisters?
beyblades
First released by the Takara Tomy company in 1999, the “Beyblade” line of tops has sold millions of units around the world and spawned a gigantic multimedia franchise in Japan. Given its ties to Hasbro in developing tapes based on its toy licenses such as transformers either G.I. JoeParamount Pictures did not hesitate to take over the rights for a production live action in 2015. And after a long time without news, it was confirmed at the beginning of 2022 that the film project will finally be launched by Jerry Bruckheimer, renowned producer behind sagas such as Pirates of the Caribbean, bad boys either top gun. Let It Rip!
hellsing
Alucard will rise again! Kohta Hirano’s cult action-horror manga will have its own project for the big screen. Covered by Amazon Studios, the feature film revealed in 2021 will have the pen of Derek Kolstad, co-creator of the franchise john wick and film scriptwriter Nobody (2021) with Bob Odenkirk. Now, in case you’re not familiar, the plot It revolves around the Hellsing Organization, run by the descendants of Abraham Van Helsing, whose goal is to protect Britain from all manner of supernatural threats. The biggest of these is Millennium, a Nazi organization that seeks to revive the Third Reich by means of an army of vampires. Interested?
The Promised Neverland
The orphans of Grace Field House will also jump into the live action in United States. Thanks to its plot twists, psychological games and charismatic leading trio, The Promised Neverland it soon positioned itself as one of the most acclaimed works of recent years. The director Rodney Rothman and the screenwriter Meghan Malloy, figures of the team of the Oscar-winning film, Spider-Man: A New Universe (2018), will lead this Amazon Studios series, unveiled in mid-2020. Although the task of portraying the inhospitable world conceived in the manga by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizua seems complex, at least it cannot be worse than the second season of the anime. , or if?
Bonuses: Akira, Naruto and Attack on Titan… in limbo?
A common denominator between the Hollywood adaptations of manga or anime is that they are not exactly a priority for their studies. Despite taking over the rights, countless projects are forever stuck in the pre-production phase until those responsible jump ship, either due to creative differences or to move forward with other proposals due to obstacles to receiving the green light. Some overcome adversity, many others…
Three prominent examples are live action of Akira (in plans with Warner Bros. since 2002), Naruto (announced in 2016 by Lionsgate) and Attack on Titan (in development with Warner since 2018). Undoubtedly, highly renowned titles that luck has not favored. The last rumors indicate that Lionsgate will resume and expedite development of Naruto as soon as the writers’ and actors’ strikes in the US end. In the other cases, their status is in doubt due to the saturated schedules of their directors: Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), who would remain linked to Akiraand Andy Muschietti (Flash), who would adapt Attack on Titan. Could it be that any of these movies will see the light of day one day?
Which of the listed projects do you think has the best chance of doing justice to its print or animated counterpart? What manga/anime would you like to see adapted to the format? live action?