Reset the clock: In a sign that Netflix will continue to not leave well enough alone, word has emerged that the massive streaming service is working on a live-action adaptation of the popular anime series My Hero Academia.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Joby Harold, who was the executive producer for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, John Wick, and Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, will write the screenplay for Netflix’s My Hero Academia. The movie will also serve as the English directorial debut of Shinsuke Sato, whose previous works include the live-action adaptations of Inuyashiki and I Am A Hero.
My Hero Academia, by mangaka Kohei Horikoshi, follows Izuku Midoriya, a “quirkless” boy who inherits the superpowers of a world-famous superhero, All Might, and attends UA Academy, a school for fledgling heroes. The news of Netflix’s adaptation plans for MHA came into being after the streamer seized the adaptation from Legendary Entertainment, who bought the rights to a live-action MHA back in 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Read More: My Hero Academia Is Superhero Anime For People Tired Of Superheroes
Seeing as how the show’s executive producer has worked on some fun American action movies, from which MHA often takes inspiration, and its director isn’t green when it comes to live-action anime adaptations, Netflix’s adaptation looks to be in good hands. However, Netflix hasn’t had a great track record with its prior live-action adaptations of popular anime.
In particular, it’s hard not to conjure up the phrase “Netflix live-action anime series” without feeling the recent sting of the streamer’s live-action Cowboy Bebop series, which was canceled after its first season. And anyone who suffered through its attempt at a live-action Death Note is likely still feeling the resultant PTSD. No amount of phenomenal character acting from Willem Dafoe as Ryuk can make up for the goofy, Americanized goober that was “Light Turner.”
Despite both of those shows’ abject failure to captivate viewers, Netflix is continuing its shotgun-spread approach to adapting popular anime. It’s currently wrapping up a live-action One Piece series under the supervision of creator Eiichiro Oda, and is making another attempt at a live-action Death Note series with the Duffer Brothers, of Stranger Things fame. Oh, and it’s also working on a live-action a live-action Yu Yu Hakusho, just in case those previous names didn’t stir your heart with fear. Should the show make it to where the current arc of the manga is (it won’t) let’s pray it casts Megan Thee Stallion as the bunny hero, Mirko.