The trend of manga andanimemovies and shows being turned into live-action adaptations is continuing with an upcoming adaptation ofGantzforSony Pictures. The creator of theGantzmanga that the anime was based on, Hiroya Oku, said in a recent interview that the rights had been officially purchased by a production company in Hollywood.
The originalGantzbook series debuted in 2000 and had a successful run of 37 total volumes until the series eventually came to an end in 2013. It waspicked up as an anime adaptationin 2004 and that series ran for two seasons. There was also a CGI film calledGantz: 0that aired in 2006. Now it appears theanimefranchise is officially coming to the United States and this time will be of the live-action variety.
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Deadline reports Julius Avery, who is best known for directing the World War II horror movieOverlord, has been tapped to direct this film. Marc Guggenheim, who is best known forhis work in the CW’s Arrowversewill be writing the AmericanGantzadaptation. According to the outlet, theGantzadaptation for Sony is currently in the early stages of development and a production start date hasn’t been set. Temple Hill will produce the project.
Both the animeand manga versions ofGantztell the story of high school students Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato, who meet tragic deaths in a train accident. However, rather than resting in peace, the teens and several other recently deceased people are forced to play a kind of “game” where they need to hunt down alien invaders that are armed to the teeth with all kinds of incredibly futuristic weapons.
Oku had previously said that a then-unnamed Hollywood company bought the rights toGantzback in 2020 and will own them until 2024. He explained in a recent interview that because of the US company holding the rights, there won’t be able to bean anime or live-action adaptationmade in Japan.
If and whenGantzis finally made, it will be just the latest Japanese anime to get the live-action treatment in the United States. In addition to yet another attempt to make a live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbender, there is also a long-awaited live-actionversion ofCowboy Bebopcoming to Netflix.
