Anime and sci-fi go together better than just about any pairing. From cyberpunk adventures to apocalyptic tech, the industry has brought countless sci-fi tales to life over the decades. Of course, some have done better than others, and one of anime’s top sci-fi franchises was born with Steins;Gate. A recent post by Steins;Gate producer retells the show’s history for fans, and it was there Chiyomaru Shikura confirmed the anime nearly got a live-action movie years ago.
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The update comes from Shikura as the exec took to Twitter to share the news about Steins;Gate with fans. It turns out the producer was approached about a live-action pitch not long after the Steins;Gate anime ended. According to the report, the unnamed producer had overseen “big hits” in the field, and they asked after Steins;Gate because they were fans of Chiyomaru.
It seems negotiations for a live-action adaptation went well at first. The two parties exchanged outlines via email, but Chiyomaru says things all changed after they were asked to cast a member of Johnny & Associates as the lead of Steins;Gate, Rintaro Okabe.
“This was when the word line diverged,” the producer shared. Chiyomaru felt this demand was overly unfair. The producer did not feel the agency had anyone strongly suited for Rintaro, but they ultimately agreed to the condition so long as Tomoya Nagase played the lead. Chiyomaru’s request was rejected, and so the Steins;Gate live-action film fell apart.
As you can see, this project began with the best intentions, but power plays behind the scenes dismantled the dream. Now, the future of a live-action Steins;Gate project lies with Hollywood. Back in 2020, Skydance Television announced it was developed a TV series based on the anime. No updates have been given on Steins;Gate since it was announced, so here’s to hoping negotiations go better on this project than the first…!
Want to know more about Steins;Gate? You can watch the hit anime on Crunchyroll. For more details on Steins;Gate, you can read its official synopsis here: “Japanese anime following the adventures of a mad scientist who believes he has converted a microwave into a time machine. Rintarou Okabe (voice of Mamoru Miyano) is the inventor of the device, which can send text messages into the past – something he may well need to keep the evil plans of the shadowy organisation known as SERN at bay.”
Do you think Steins;Gate should have been given a live-action adaptation? Would you have tuned in? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
