Recently, My Hero Academia’s highly anticipated live-action adaptation finally released a brand new update. Screenwriter Jason Fuchs was confirmed to be helming the upcoming take on Class 1-A, previously having helped to create properties such as Wonder Woman, It: Welcome to Derryand For argy. With the film set to be directed by Shinsuke Sato, director of Bleach’s live-action adaptation and a creator on Alice in Borderlandshonen fans are left wondering if this superhero story will conquer a new medium. Luckily, there’s good reason to believe that this new adaptation of Deku’s story might knock it out of the park.
Live-Action Adaptations Aren’t a Dirty Word
Things have changed a good deal since the arrival of widely panned live-action anime adaptations such as Dragon Ball Evolution, Ghost in The Shelland Attack on Titan. Netflix has ushered in a new era with the likes of One Piecewith the live-action take bringing on creator Eiichiro Oda as an Executive Producer to keep the series on track. Even if the original creators aren’t on board, the streaming service still attempts to stay true to the source material, which saw success with Avatar: The Last Airbender, for example. Netflix is taking into account what worked for these two adaptations and will, most likely, keep this in mind when creating UA Academy for a new generation.
The Superhero Slump
There has been plenty of debate when it comes to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the state of superhero movies in general. However, the arrival of Superman earlier this year proved that there is still “gas in the tank” when it comes to caped crusaders. Thanks to My Hero Academia’s story being quite different from the likes of Marvel and DC, Kohei Horikoshi’s world might work well at injecting new energy into the medium as a whole. Certainly, there is more than enough material from the manga and the anime adaptation to warrant far more than one feature-length film. In a world where superhero stories might be slumping in some avenues, My Hero Academia’s entry into the live-action world is something the medium might need.
My Hero Academia Works Worldwide
The story of Class 1-A might take place originally in Japan, but the shonen franchise could work in any country. All Might himself is effectively fashioned from the American flag, meaning he would translate well into being a U.S. icon, to say nothing of his attacks harkening back to North American states in the union. My Hero Academia could exist in any country when all is said and done, but making it a Western production would work quite well with the story elements and characters that they’ve introduced in its story.
My Hero Academia Absence
My Hero Academia’s manga has already ended, and the anime adaptation will end with the eighth and final season arriving next month. When the original story of Deku and Class 1-A ends, a “reboot” of sorts would work well in the form of a live-action film, which is most likely still years away from hitting the screen at this point. While My Hero Academia: Vigilantes could still be going strong, as the spin-off has been confirmed for a second season, returning to this universe via the live-action movie might be the best way to bring back Kohei Horikoshi’s work in the future.
My Hero Academia: The New MCU
As mentioned previously, My Hero Academia would work well during the “superhero slump” era that many believe is happening in theaters, with the story being unique enough on its own to garner success. Considering the sheer amount of characters and storylines, there would be the opportunity to create a hard-hitting franchise that could rival Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. On top of covering certain arcs with each film, creating individual projects for unique heroes, or even villains, born from the mind of Kohei Horikoshi, would work well.
The Anime Boom
With any production in the entertainment industry, it’s always good to “strike when the iron is hot,” and now seems like the best time in terms of anime’s overall popularity. The medium continues to skyrocket, and creating a new take on My Hero Academia’s world sooner rather than later would help it succeed in the public eye. Who knows how long the anime industry will be a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, so creating new properties for big favorites makes sense.
My Hero Academia is Tailor-Made For Live-Action
In the past, Hollywood has seen big success with entries like Alita: Battle Angel and One Piecewith these two properties having way more difficult story bits to adapt into live-action. My Hero Academia might have some wild superpowers and characters that don’t look quite human, but we’ve seen how anthropomorphic characters and energy attacks can be made smoothly on screen. What works so well about Kohei Horikoshi’s creation isn’t just the high-octane battles, of which there are many, but the emotional beats that would work well in a live-action film. With so many other anime receiving live-action adaptations, the time for Class 1-A to take the stage has come.
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