Live-action movies are the talk of town these days, and it’s not just Disney who’s riding the wave. Following news that the highly-popular anime series My Hero Academia will be receiving a live-action adaption, Netflix has announced that it’ll be helming the project with renowned Japanese filmmaker Shinsuke Sato (Alice in Borderland) in the director’s seat.
The man, who also serves as executive producer, will work off a screenplay by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Army of the Dead writer Joby Harold. Legendary Entertainment is set to produce, with Toho Co. Ltd distributing the project theatrically in Japan. No plot details or release date has been revealed for Netflix’s My Hero Academia project just yet, and it’s unclear whether it will feature a whole new story altogether, or if it takes after the source material.
No matter the case, all eyes will be on Sato’s ability to bring tap into his past experience and deliver on his English-language debut. While live-action anime adaptations are generally frowned upon and treated with scepticism by enthusiasts (with good reason, too, for the most part), the director’s track record does put him in a good position to work on a project as massive as My Hero Academia, which won a Harvey Award in 2019 for best manga.
Penned and written by Kohei Horikoshi, the work has over 50 million copies in print, with a handful of both anime and manga spin-offs under its belt. The story follows one Izuku Midoriya, who is born without a superpower, or a “quirk, in a world where quirk-equipped individuals form the majority.
The green-haired teenager is unable to fulfil his dream of going to the superhero academy, but after a chance encounter with All Might, the world’s greatest superhero, he defies the odds and vows to become a beacon of hope for the world, quirk or no quirk. The anime series is currently in its sixth season, which covers the Paranormal Liberation War arc that spans chapters 258 to 306 of the manga.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Natalie
Trinity Sun
