Despite multiple attempts, the Hollywood industry rarely finds the right formula to successfully bring recognized works from the world of manga/anime to the world. 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 genuinely good projects or “ salvageable.” But that doesn’t mean American producers will stop trying.
Therefore, here we present a list with some notable manga and/or anime titles in plans to receive their respective adaptation soon. live-action produced in the United States.
Your Name
When we refer to original films within Japanese animation, few titles have stolen 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 such as 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 transfer his story of romance and tragedy to American territory, will the Mexican filmmaker be able to capture a little of the magic of the opus magnum by 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 sequel to Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019). Although things cooled down on that front during the pandemic, it was recently reported that the sequel is still on track, presumably under the direction of series co-creator Jonathan Krisel. 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 Luciferr. The question is: will it be better than what the film 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-action inspired by renowned manga and anime in Japan, their most recent work being the successful Alice in Borderland. Nevertheless, My Hero Academia It will be its first production in English and, although there are still no actors officially linked, it was speculated that a cast of Japanese-American actors would be chosen. It will be exclusive to Netflix.
One Punch Man
The fever for epic stories of superheroes and supervillains continues with a film One Punch Man. With the exact 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 becoming 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 already collaborated on Venom (2018) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). Just last year it was confirmed that the direction will fall to Justin Lin, responsible for five installments of the franchise. Fast and furious.
Death note
Will revenge come or will they stumble over 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 red “N” platform will take on this occasion with respect to the original work of Tsugumi Ōba and Takeshi Obata. Still, there is a reason to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. The Duffer brothers, creators of the phenomenon Stranger Thingswill take the lead 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 manage to expand such fortune to the international market? The live action film inspired by the undisputed kings of wick for more than four decades was first announced at Anime Expo 2018. Backed by Sunrise, Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) serves as director and producer, from a script written by celebrated comic book author Brian K. Vaughan (And: The last man). We still don’t have an estimated release date, but we know that it will be exclusive content for Netflix.
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 screenwriters. His “exciting reinterpretation” of the material is said to have impressed all the producers, including JJ Abrams. Of course, this is not the first time that the automotive adventures of Meteor and his Mach 5 car have been brought to the screen by Hollywood. Will it surpass the Wachowski sisters’ version?
Beyblade
First launched on the market by the Takara Tomy company in 1999, the “Beyblade” line of spinning tops has sold millions of units around the world and gave rise to a gigantic multimedia franchise in Japan. Given its ties with Hasbro in developing films 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. Hosted by Amazon Studios, the feature film revealed in 2021 will be penned by Derek Kolstad, co-creator of the franchise John Wick and screenwriter of the film Nobody (2021) with Bob Odenkirk. Now, in case you’re not familiar, the plot revolves around the Hellsing Organization, led by the descendants of Abraham Van Helsing, whose goal is to protect Britain from all kinds of supernatural threats. The largest of these is Millennium, a Nazi organization that seeks to revive the Third Reich through an army of vampires. Interested?
The Promised Neverland
The orphans of Grace Field House will also jump from manga and anime to live-action in United States. Thanks to its plot twists, psychological games and charismatic leading trio, The Promised Neverland It soon became one of the most acclaimed works of recent years. Director Rodney Rothman and screenwriter Meghan Malloy, members of the team of the Oscar-winning film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (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 looks complex, at least it can’t be worse than the second season of the anime , or if?
naruto
In July 2015, Lionsgate announced the acquisition of the rights to a film based on Masashi Kishimoto’s hit manga about an outcast boy who dreams of becoming Hokage, the ultimate ninja leader of his village. However, the years passed without major developments until February 2024. Destin Daniel Cretton, head of Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings (2021), will direct the live-action version from a script signed by Tasha Huo (The Witcher: Dawn of Blood). Kishimoto himself will be involved in the production with suggestions and gave his blessing to the Hawaiian filmmaker: “After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is creating solid dramas about people, I am convinced that there is no better director for Naruto.” , said.
Corollary: Akira and Attack on Titan… in limbo?
A common denominator among Hollywood adaptations in live-action manga or anime is that they are not exactly a priority for their studies. Despite acquiring the rights, countless projects remain eternally stuck in the pre-production phase until those responsible abandon ship, either due to creative differences or to move forward with other proposals due to obstacles to receiving the green light. Some overcome adversity, others…
Two notable examples are live-action of Akira (in plans with Warner Bros. since 2002) and Attack on Titan (in development with Warner since 2018). Without a doubt, titles of great renown to which luck has not favored them. 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. Will any of these films ever see the light of day?
Which of the projects listed do you think have the best chance of doing justice to their printed or animated counterpart? What manga/anime would you like to see adapted to the format? live-action?