Legendary is producing a live-action feature film version of Shueisha’s Japanese manga franchise “My Hero Academia.”
The company, a subsidiary of the China-based Wanda Group, made the announcement Wednesday and noted that the franchise, created by Kohei Horikoshi, has more than 17 million copies in circulation and was the 2017 winner of the Sugoi Japan Award for best manga. It’s also been adapted into an anime television series, which has aired for three seasons.
“My Hero Academia” is set in a world in which 80% of humanity has developed some sort of special powers, known as quirks — not all of them super, and not all used for good — and focuses on a young boy who obsessively follows the new heroes while having no abilities of his own.
The project will be produced by Legendary, with Alex Garcia and Jay Ashenfelter overseeing on behalf of the company, and Ryosuke Yoritomi in charge on behalf of Shueisha. Toho will distribute the film in Japan.
Legendary’s upcoming titles include “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and the live-action “Detective Pikachu” — which will both be released in 2019 — and “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which is in pre-production for a May 2020 release. Recent Legendary titles include “Skyscraper,” “Pacific Rim: Uprising,” “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Kong: Skull Island,” and “The Great Wall.”