Japanese animation studio Science SARU has been tapped to animate the new animated adaptation of Scott Pilgrim, a graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Key people involved in the upcoming series production include Eunyoung Choi as producer and Abel Góngora as director. Edgar Wright, Nira Park, Marc Platt, Jared LeBoff, Adam Seigel, and Michael Bacall will also receive executive producer credits for the series.
Science SARU was one of the four animation studios Netflix had signed an agreement with to produce more anime series. The studio has worked on multiple anime series titles, including The Heike Story, Tatami Galaxy, Space Dandy, and Ping Pong The Animation. They have worked on multiple anime films, such as Typhoon Noruda, Lu Over the Wall, Ride Your Wave, and Inu-Oh.
According to the exclusive report, the series will be produced by Universal Content Productions for streaming giant Netflix. O’Malley will be the series’ writer and an executive producer, alongside BenDavid Grabinski.
Scott Pilgrim focuses on the story of part-time musician Scott Pilgrim, who resides in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass in a band. One day, he falls in love with American delivery girl Ramona Flowers, but he must defeat Flowers’ seven evil exes in order to date her properly.
The franchise started as six black-and-white volumes, originally released by comic book publisher Oni Press. The graphic novels were then republished by HarperCollins’ Fourth Estate and got full-color editions via Nathan Fairbairn, released in August 2012 to April 2014.
The franchise’s film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, starred Canadian actor Michael Cera and was released in 2010. With a budget estimated to be around US$60 million to US$85 million, the film went on to earn only US$49.3 million. Despite this, the film has inspired many musical artists, including Lil Uzi Vert and Kid Cudi, to release music homages. In addition, the movie has been considered by some as one of the ‘most underrated comic book-based films.
Several spin-offs came off from the franchise, including the game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Chengdu in 2010. Despite being delisted in 2014, the game got a re-release titled “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition” on January 14, 2021.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
© Bryan Lee O’Malley, HarperCollins, 2021 Universal Studios
