According to a Variety exclusive, One-Punch Man will be receiving a western live-action movie.
The live-action film is set to be written by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The duo is most widely known for writing 2018’s Venom; the two have also worked together on the two new Jumanji films. The film will be produced by Ari Arad and Avi Arad of Arad Productions. No other cast has been confirmed for the live-action One-Punch Man.
One-Punch Man began in 2009 as a simply styled webcomic by artist ONE whose other work includes Mob Psycho 100. A more detailed remake of the One-Punch Man webcomic as a manga has been running simultaneously with the webcomic since 2012 by artist Yusuke Murata. An anime series then began in 2015, which currently has two seasons.
The series has become popular in the west after Viz Media licensed an English localization of the series. The anime also aired in the west on adult programming block Adult Swim.
One-Punch Man follows the life of Saitama, a ‘hero for fun’ who lives in the dangerous City Z. Originally just a salaryman, he began mundane physical training but incidentally awakened to absurd levels of power, to the point he can defeat most enemies with just one punch.
He is constantly bored with his own power as it deprives him of excitement from his hero work; his own disinterest in showboating has left him with a poor reputation as many assume his victories to be simple flukes.
The One-Punch Man movie comes at a time when other series are getting live action adaptations such as Akira, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Steins;Gate, and more. It is yet to be seen if new live-action adaptations of anime series can overcome the negative stigma brought by movies like 2009’s Dragonball Evolution.
A premiere date for the live-action One-Punch Man has yet to be announced. The anime can currently be found on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and Viz.
