The Live-Action My Hero Academia Movie Is Heading To Netflix
"My Hero Academia" is one of the most popular manga and anime around often thought of as a successor to the "Big Three" of manga ("Naruto," "Bleach," and "One Piece"). The manga is consistently on top sales lists, and the anime remains as popular as ever even after six seasons.
It is easy to see why. The story, originally created by Kōhei Horikoshi, brings the best tropes of a shonen action manga into the world of comic book superheroes, taking inspiration from classic Marvel comics, especially "Spider-Man" ones. "My Hero Academia" takes place in a world where 80% population has some kind of superpower, or "quirk." We focus on Midoriya Izuku, a kid born without powers, but who yearns more than anything to follow in the footsteps of Japan's greatest hero, All Might (essentially the show's answer to Superman and Captain America). When he is accepted into a prestigious academy for superheroes, he decides to become the number one hero, and the symbol for justice, no matter how much work it takes.
The anime, now in its sixth season, is an absolute must-watch. Adapting one of the most popular arcs from the manga, it is riveting, thrilling, and even scary at times. This is one of the most popular, and one of the best anime and manga of the moment, so of course, Hollywood has to announce something dumb and unnecessary. Something like its previously announced live-action adaptation now heading to Netflix.
Holding out for a hero
Oh Netflix, why do you love misery? Granted, the company has done a lot for anime, being responsible for some of the best shows of recent years from "Devilman Crybaby" and "Great Pretender" to the recent "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners." But when it comes to live-action, they don't have the best track record, considering the "Cowboy Bebop" fiasco, or the "Death Note" fiasco before that.
You'd think they would rather stay away from the manga live-action adaptation of business for a while as they regroup and rethink their strategy — especially considering they already have a "One Piece" live-action show in production, a "Yu Yu Hakusho" in development and also a "Pokémon" live-action show in the making.
Of course, there's no stopping the streaming train, as Netflix is now set to be the home of the live-action "My Hero Academia" movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to be directed by Shinsuke Sato in his English-language debut. Now, his involvement is rather interesting, given Sato already has experience in live-action manga adaptations like the rather good "Kingdom" movies, and the surprisingly fun "Alice in Borderland" — which was made for Netflix. His familiarity with the format, and the Netflix money, could make for a way out of the Western live-action manga curse.
But before you start getting excited, the project has tapped Joby Harold to pen the adaptation. Harold, of course, worked as a writer on "Obi-Wan Kenobi," but is best known for writing ... "Army of the Dead" and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," which are not great confidence builders.
In the meantime, you can catch up on the great "My Hero Academia" anime on Crunchyroll.