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There can be no denying that Kohei Horikoshi’s manga and its beloved anime adaptation have become a worldwide phenomenon. With it’s enthusiastic representation and deconstruction of the superhero genre, endearing cast and amazing action sequences, it’s no wonder that it has earned such a vast following. With the fourth season of the anime already set to come out next year, it looks like nothing can slow this property down. At least until it was announced that Hollywood would be taking a crack at it via a live-action feature film.
According to an article on Deadline –
Legendary said Wednesday it plans to adapt Kohei Horikoshiâs manga franchise My Hero Academia into a live-action feature film. It joins a slate at the company that includes the feature film Detective Pikachu based on the Pokemon franchise.
The manga version of the series, written and illustrated by Horikoshi, launched in 2014 and a year later was adapted in anime form. It centers on Izuku, a young boy who daydreams about being a hero but is clearly not a likely candidate â thatâs because he lives in a world where four out of every five people have a superpower (called a âquirkâ ability) which means an âaverageâ kid is nether common nor close to average. Izuku defies the odds and enroll in one of the worldâs most prestigious and intimidating hero academies where he will find challenges that require him to risk everything to prove himself to be truly special.
Alex Garcia and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee the live-action project on behalf of Legendary, with Ryosuke Yoritomi on behalf of the manga publisher Shueisha. Toho will distribute the film in Japan.
As many fans of the medium are aware; live-action adaptations of famed anime/manga titles almost always end up as failures. Even Japanese studios fail on this front, evidenced by the likes of the less than well-received Fullmetal Alchemist live-action film. Then you have the western versions of titles such as Death Note and Dragon Ball, which as well all know turned out to be abominations. Given such a sordid history, you can’t blame us for feeling anxious about Hollywood tackling a modern gem like My Hero Academia.Â
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Anime You Didn’t Know Had Live-Action Adaptations.