The trend of manga and anime movies and shows being turned into live-action adaptations is continuing with an upcoming adaptation of Gantz for Sony Pictures. The creator of the Gantz manga 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 original Gantz book series debuted in 2000 and had a successful run of 37 total volumes until the series eventually came to an end in 2013. It was picked up as an anime adaptation in 2004 and that series ran for two seasons. There was also a CGI film called Gantz: 0 that aired in 2006. Now it appears the anime franchise is officially coming to the United States and this time will be of the live-action variety.
Deadline reports Julius Avery, who is best known for directing the World War II horror movie Overlord, has been tapped to direct this film. Marc Guggenheim, who is best known for his work in the CW's Arrowverse will be writing the American Gantz adaptation. According to the outlet, the Gantz adaptation 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 anime and manga versions of Gantz tell 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 to Gantz back 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 be an anime or live-action adaptation made in Japan.
If and when Gantz is 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-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, there is also a long-awaited live-action version of Cowboy Bebop coming to Netflix.
Gantz is currently in development.
Source: Deadline