Yes, you read that right. Hollywood is still trying to make a live-action version of the popular Japanese franchise My Hero Academia and the project just took a significant step forward. Deadline reports that Shinsuke Sato has been attached to direct the film, which is being produced by Legendary Pictures.
Sato recently directed the series Alice in Borderland for Netflix as well as the 2019 manga adaptation, Kingdom, which currently has a sequel in the works. So he’s obviously got the experience to bring a franchise as beloved, and as epic, as My Hero Academia into the world of live-action.
The franchise, which is popular both as a manga (by mangaka Kohei Horikoshi) and an anime series (animated by Studio Bones), is about a world where 80% of the people are born superpowers (called “Quirks”)focusing on the young boy Izuku “Deku” Midoriya as he finds power thrust upon him, attending a school where those people, and others without powers, co-exist and learn to become professional heroes. One of the reasons it’s so popular is because it’s very much inspired by popular comic book franchises and movies so it’s got a little something for everyone. A live-action adaptation could potentially bring that crowd-pleasing alchemy to a wider audience.
The project was originally announced in 2018 around the time Legendary was getting ready to release another big, live-action adaptation, Detective Pikachu. Fans seemed to like that film and turned it into a hit, grossing over $400 million worldwide, the bulk of which came from international audiences. My Hero Academia would certainly be expected to do similar business, if not more, as it shares so much DNA with the major blockbusters of the era.
So, what do you think a live-action My Hero Academia movie should be? The beginning of the story? A spinoff like the Vigilantes manga? Who among the many pro-? Do you think it could have similar success in live-action as it does in other formats? Let us know below.
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DISCUSSION
Would it be too much to ask for some tiny cameos from the UA:LA fanfilm team?