One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Dragon Ball are just a few examples of anime franchises that entered the world of live-action. While the live-action anime adaptations can vary in overall quality, Netflix’s recent take on the Straw Hat Pirates has opened the door for many other series to follow suit. My Hero Academia and Naruto have live-action adaptations on the way, and it seems as though Sony is preparing to enter even further into this now lucrative area. In a new report, the studio’s Executive Vice President has laid out “ambitious” plans to crack further into the live-action anime adaptation market.
Videos by ComicBook.com
This year has seen Sony Pictures Entertainment see major profits at the box office thanks to Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc hitting it big on the silver screen. While the details of what live-action anime adaptations Sony will be tackling under this new mandate remain a mystery, here’s what Executive VP Shebnem Askin had to say: “Since I came here, I’m taking so many great meetings with a lot of companies that are producing incredible stories with anime. We are starting to look at different anime movies where we can hopefully adapt as live-action movies around the world. This is one of our missions by attending TIFFCOM.”
Anime Takes Over The World
Despite this commitment to focus further on live-action adaptations, this doesn’t mean that Sony is pulling back on anime proper. Following the success of Denji and Tanjiro, Askin assured fans during the interview that the studio still has its eye focused on the medium: “It doesn’t really matter which division we all work for Sony, and I’m equally proud, whether it’s our production or not.”
Sony’s Executive Vice President also stated that the studio continues to focus on theatrical releases, even if they bypass theaters to arrive on the small screen via streaming services. “We are a theatrical studio, so our number one mission is to make theatrical movies. Even our conversations with streamers, what they really expect from us is to make great theatrical movies that deliver box office. I don’t think they run against each other, but they complement each other.”
Finally, Shebnem reiterated Sony’s commitment to movie-making in general, “I believe the most powerful movie is a truly original movie, a story that really comes from that country. In every country in the world, in its own recent history or old history, there is always an event, an incident that touched everyone by heart. So yes, we will be very open to developing original movies, whether in Taiwan or in any other country, if they are truly cinematic experiences.” With anime continuing to supply some of the biggest stories that the world of entertainment has ever seen, Sony is in a good position to capitalize on the skyrocketing popularity of the medium.
What do you think of Sony wading deeper into the world of live-action anime? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Ufotable
