While anime fans still look forward to the third season of One Punch Man, the beloved manga series may now have a future in theaters. Sony’s Columbia Pictures announced a live-action film way back in 2020 and the progress has been really slow on the project. Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner were initially signed on as writers, but the latest reports suggest that Rick and Morty writers Dan Harmon and Heather Anne Campbell are rewriting the script.
Fast & Furious director Justin Lee will be the one helming the film. He is expected to bring the high-octane action package to Saitama’s story on the big screen. One-Punch Man became one of the best-selling manga series of all time just before the announcement of the film in April 2020.
Sony Hires Fast & Furious Director And Rick & Morty Writers For One Punch Man
One Punch Man live-action film was announced in April 2020, with Avi Arad and Ari Arad producing the film. Variety reported that writers Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, who collaborated on the films Jumanji: The Next Level and Venom, were set to write the script for the film. According to sources, Sony was highly interested in the project since it meant a new popular IP to add to their pipeline.
In 2022, Deadline reported that Justin Lin had joined the project as the director. At the time, Lin had just exited from Fast X due to creative differences. Lin directed five films in the billion-dollar Fast & Furious franchise, starting with the now fan-favorite film Tokyo Drift. Fans were excited about Lin’s addition to the One Punch Man project since the film could use an experienced action film director.
In April 2024, while reporting Lin’s involvement in Amazon’s crime thriller film Stakehorse, THR mentioned that Lin’s One Punch Man project was currently undergoing rewrites. It was reported that Sony hired Rick and Morty writers Dan Harmon and Heather Anne Campbell to do the rewrites.
For those not familiar, Harmon’s Rick and Morty is one of the top-rated animated comedies on television. Harmon also worked as writer-producer on the sitcom Community. Campbell is also no stranger to comedy as she had worked on projects like Whose Line Is It Anyway and The Eric Andre Show. Campbell began writing Rick and Morty from its sixth season onwards.
Sony Is Yet To Make Some Major Announcements Regarding One Punch Man Including Casting
Sony took up the film adaptation after the manga became one of the most popular outside Japan. One-Punch Man was created as a webcomic by Japanese artist ONE. The viral webcomic was then published on Shueisha’s Tonari no Young Jump Next with illustrations from the original artist as well as Yusuke Murata. It sold more than 30 million copies worldwide by April 2020.
The popularity of the series has led to a critically acclaimed TV anime that aired for two seasons on Toonami. The franchise also launched a video and mobile game of the same name. As for the storyline, Saitama aka One Punch Man, as the name suggests, defeats his enemies with a single punch. He quickly gets bored of his superpower and wants to find an opponent who can challenge his abilities.
Sony has yet to announce the casting of the series and fans look forward to seeing which Hollywood actor will take on the role of a bald Saitama. One-Punch Man Seasons 1 & 2 are now available for streaming on Hulu.
