VIZ Media will partner with United Talent Agency (UTA) to develop live-action programming based on titles from VIZ Media’s extensive catalog of manga and anime properties, the companies announced Wednesday.
VIZ Media is the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America. The company’s roster includes massively popular titles such as “Bleach,” “Death Note,” “Naruto,” “One-Punch Man,” “One Piece” and “Tokyo Ghoul.”
“We are excited to start this partnership to push the boundaries of storytelling, innovation and character through VIZ Media’s prolific portfolio,” said UTA’s Howie Sanders, co-head of the book department.
VIZ Media is also the top manga publisher in the U.S. and one of the top three graphic novel publishers overall. Founded in San Francisco in 1986, VIZ Media marks its 30th anniversary this summer.
“The UTA partnership represents an important new direction for VIZ Media and our colleagues in Japan,” Brad Woods, chief marketing officer of VIZ Media, said. “Bringing the rich stories of manga and anime to life in new ways is an exciting opportunity with tremendous potential. UTA is an innovator that shares our vision, and their proven track record and strong relationships throughout the domestic and international entertainment sectors will be important factors as we move forward.”
Developing live action versions of anime and manga properties for American audiences could prove to be a new frontier for studios.
Scarlett Johansson is currently set to star in the live action version of the anime and manga classic “Ghost in the Shell,” which follows a female special ops cyborg who leads an elite task force called Section 9. Section 9 is devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, led by an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic’s advancements in cyber technology.
“Ghost in the Shell” is produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul. Michael Costigan, Tetsu Fujimura and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, whose animation studio Production I.G produced the Japanese “Ghost in the Shell” film and TV series. Jeffrey Silver will executive produce.
Beyond Deadpool: 10 More Superheroes Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)
Batman
Batman is essentially a psychopath hunting for psychopaths in a city that seems to be run by psychopaths. This is prime territory for an R-rating.
DC Comics
Daredevil
Marvel and Netflix have rescued Daredevil's legacy from the Affleck era and seem to be moving in this direction already. All that's left would be to transfer Charlie Cox's blind vigilante to the big screen.
Marvel
Wolverine
With Fox recasting many of the X-Men for younger stars, Wolverine may be due for a facelift soon. Hopefully, that means an edgier film that truly shows what Logan is: an animal living amongst us.
Marvel
Cassandra Cain
"Jessica Jones" has shown that a female superhero can not only kick ass, but can be tortured and dark. Cain's backstory is frightening -- she's the daughter of two assassins who abused her as a child in order to mold her into the world's deadliest assassin. She served for a time as Batgirl before traveling to Asia to find and kill her parents. Not a PG kind of story.
DC Comics
Punisher
Yes, the Punisher has already gotten a R-rated film, but it never felt like it's been done right. Again, it looks like Netflix is moving in the right direction. Maybe Jon Bernthal will headline his own film someday.
Marvel
Spawn
Though a cult-classic film came out in 1997, its overall campiness and cheap special effects prevented Spawn from catching on. We'd love a new, grown-up take on the story of an ex-assassin who was murdered before selling his soul to the devil to come back.
Image Comics
Starfire
Starfire's relationship misadventures could lead a comedy in the vein of "Bridesmaids" for a fresh take on the superhero genre.
DC Comics
The Boys
When superheroes get reckless and endanger the world, the government sends in...The Boys. They're a group of super-enforcers who keep heroes in line. There was talk in the past about an Adam McKay adaptation, but that was before he turned his attention to real global disasters with "The Big Short."
Dynamite Entertainment
Lobo
A villain who morphed into an anti-hero, the ultra-violent Lobo was intended to be an indictment of Marvel's Punisher and Wolverine. However, his popularity shot through the roof, and he even became Stan Lee's favorite DC character. A planned film adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson has been indefinitely delayed.
DC Comics
X-Force
Essentially a more militant and aggressive form of the X-Men team, X-Force could lead the new Fox films in a grittier direction. With the introduction of Psylocke and the recasting of key X-Men, many pieces of an original X-Force team should be in place after "X-Men: Apocalypse."
Marvel
1 of 10
With Marvel’s ”Deadpool“ on its way to a big weekend, TheWrap suggests other heroes who deserve R-rated films
Batman
Batman is essentially a psychopath hunting for psychopaths in a city that seems to be run by psychopaths. This is prime territory for an R-rating.