The official website for Bandai Namco Pictures announced in a press release on Friday, June 3, 2022, that the company has teamed up with U.S. production studio SK Global to adapt the original anime series TIGER & BUNNY into a Hollywood live-action TV series.

Iron Fist series scriptwriter M. Raven Metzner will be in charge of the screenplay and show-running of the upcoming adaptation.

Metzner, along with Ozaki Masayuki of Bandai Namco Pictures (a producer on the original Tiger & Bunny anime series in Japan), and Filosophia CEO Fujimura Tetsu will serve as the executive producers.

Producers include John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, co-CEOs of SK Global, Marcy Ross, President of SK Global Television, and Xian Li, Executive of SK Global’s production division.

“We see this as a strong property for English-language adaptation, in part because of the popularity and awareness that the show already enjoys outside Japan, and partly because of its unique concept,” Fujimura told Variety.

Masayuki Ozaki commented, “The live-action project of TIGER & BUNNY has had many twists and turns, and we needed the understanding and support of many people in order to restart the project. In this difficult situation, we have been able to reach a new starting point by having good connections, especially with a great partner like SK Global, who values IP and partners in Asia. Along with M. Raven Metzner, a talented showrunner who loves TIGER & BUNNY, we are truly looking forward to bringing something new and exciting for viewers around the world to enjoy, while capturing the essence of the original anime.”

Sunrise announced a live-action film adaptation of the anime in 2015 with screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, at Brian Grazer, partnered with Imagine Entertainment and Weed Productions along with ANEW. However, due to ANEW’s collapse, the project was canceled.

TIGER & BUNNY live-action film was announced again in 2018 with Ellen Shanman set as the screenwriter at Global Road Entertainment. However, the disruption in the merger between IM Global and U.S. distributor Open Road, Global Road collapsed in a few months and the live-action was canceled once again.

SK Global describes the series as “a heartfelt comedy-drama set in a futuristic city where large corporations sponsor professional superheroes, whose own valiant exploits are then broadcast on a popular reality television show, the story centers on old school veteran hero Tiger, who is compelled to partner with an overconfident rookie named Bunny.”

Tiger & Bunny is a 2011 Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise under the direction of Keiichi Sato. The screenplay was written by Masafumi Nishida, with original character design by Masakazu Katsura. The series began its broadcast run in Japan on April 3, 2011 on Tokyo MX, followed by rebroadcasts on BS11 and MBS, and ended on September 17, 2011. Viz Media simulcast the series on Hulu and Anime News Network. The series was mainly created by producer Masayuki Ozaki.

A one-shot manga drawn by Masakazu Katsura was published in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine on August 4, 2011 and the production of two films based on the series were announced during a special event on November 2011.

The first film, entitled Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning was released on September 22, 2012. The second film, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, was released on February 8, 2014.

A second season by Bandai Namco Pictures was released on Netflix on April 8, 2022, as an original net animation.

A manga adaptation of the second season of Tiger & Bunny anime is illustrated and written by Mizuki Sakakibara atrted serializing in Kadokawa Shoten’s Comic Newtype website from April 5, 2022.

Source: Bandai Namco Pictures press release, Variety