Fast & Furious Director Justin Lin is now focusing on adapting the anime One-Punch Man for the big screen.
One-Punch Man has been one of the biggest animes over the past few years. While the second season wasn’t seen as favorably, the first season was enough to make the series a cultural mainstay. Therefore, it seemed inevitable that the show would get a live-action adaptation.
The new One-Punch live-action film will be distributed by Sony Pictures, and the company has finally picked its director, in the form of Fast & Furious helmer Justin Lin.
What is One-Punch Man?
One-Punch Man is an anime and manga, which focuses on the story of Saitama, a lonely and underappreciated hero who has become so overpowered that he is able to kill enemies with one punch.
The webcomic was created in 2009 by Japanese artist ONE, and soon went viral. It wasn’t long until it was published in Shueisha’s Tonari no Young Jump Next with illustrations by Yusuke Murata, and it ended up selling more than 30 million copies.
The 2015 anime series follows the manga’s story, was directed by Shingo Natsume at Madhouse, and was written by Tomohiro Suzuki.
The series has proven incredibly popular for the amazing fight scenes and hilarious characters, so it will be interesting to see those elements brought to life through this adaptation.
Justin Lin will direct One-Punch Man
Justin Lin, most well known for his work on the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing the adaptation.
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Lin’s time with the car franchise recently came to an end, as he dropped out of directing Fast X due to creative differences with star Vin Diesel. Lin helped the film series grow with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Fast X would have been his sixth film in the billion-dollar franchise.
While Lin may be stepping away from Fast & Furious, the series is probably why he was picked for the One-Punch Man directing job.
Considering that both series’ have archetypal characters, borderline ridiculous action, and frame their story around action set-pieces, Justin Lin seems the perfect choice to bring the world of One-Punch Man to life.
Who else is working on the One-Punch Man live-action adaptation?
One-Punch Man’s adaptation will be written by Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, who also wrote Jumanji: The Next Level and Venom.
Avi Arad and Ari Arad of Arad Productions (known for the Spider-Man film series, along with Venom, Iron Man, and X-Men) are producing the film. Lin will also produce, and will be working alongside the screenwriters.
According to insiders, there is the intention to begin production by the end of this year. Sony Pictures is expecting the film to kickstart a franchise, so let’s hope that it’s viewed more favorably than the series’ second season.
