Thor: Ragnarok Co-Writer To Adapt Ga-Rei Into Live-Action Series

Can It Bring The Thunder?

The verdict is in and the God of Thunder’s third outing is a monumental hit with fans and critics alike, hammering its way up the box office ladder and landing another win for Marvel Studios.

One of the minds behind its success was writer and producer Craig Kyle, who has now left the MCU in order to pursue other projects. This includes a potential adaptation of the supernatural-horror manga Ga-Rei into live-action.

According to an article on Crunchyroll –

Thor producer and Thor: Ragnarok co-writer Craig Kyle, who currently runs Yugen Entertainment with partner Tim Connor, addressed Tokyo’s Japan Content Showcase last week, and, calling Japan a “treasure trove” of character and stories, mentioned that he is developing a live-action series based on horror action series Ga-Rei.

Though described as based on Hajime Segawa’s 2005 manga, the description of “destined to define the fate of the living and the dead” sounds more like its 2008 anime prequel, Ga-Rei Zero.

The Hollywood Reporter quotes Kyle:

“What it has more than anything is wonderful, wonderful characters,” Kyle said. “That’s the one component, above all else, that will guarantee a success if handled properly by those you entrust with those characters and the IP. Everyone who wants the next Game of Thrones, I will make the bold statement that Ga-Rei has that potential.”

“I left Marvel with all my friends intact…I wanted to touch far more worlds than the ones I had been exposed to for 14 years,” Kyle told the crowd about why he founded Yugen. “The best place to find those great stories is here…. [Japan has] a treasure trove of material that you can pull from.”

He said: “The Japanese stories and characters that have appeared since before I was a kid have far exceeded those that we have done in the States. When it comes to gender, the diversity, on all levels fearless choices are made…. [The characters have] so many tremendous shades of emotional and sexual and personal gray. They’re just bold.”

Kyle’s conclusion: “You own the vault…. You guys are the promised land.”

Kyle is currently working on a pilot and fleshing out a character bible, which THR says could signal that the show could unfold its story over several seasons.

Are we looking at a project that could finally give us a successful adaptation of a Japanese manga/anime? Or is this Netflix’s Death Note all over again?