Renowned Japanese filmmaker Shinsuke Sato (“I Am a Hero,” “Kingdom” and “Alice in Borderland”) has signed on to direct a live-action adaptation of “My Hero Academia” for Legendary.
The prolific filmmaker will make his English-language debut with the movie, which is based on the globally acclaimed manga property. “My Hero Academia,” written and illustrated by Kohei Horikoshi, is among the most popular manga titles in the world with over 50 million copies in circulation.
The series has won over audiences worldwide with distinctive characters battling their way through high school in a world where 80% of Earth’s population manifests a super power (or, as its referred to in “My Hero Academia,” a “quirk”). The series follows superhero fanboy Izuku Midoriya, who was born without a quirk, therefore crushing his dream of going to UA, the superhero academy, and becoming the next “All Might” — the greatest hero the world has ever known. But, after a chance encounter with All Might himself, Midoriya vows to work as hard as he can, quirk or no quirk, to become a symbol of peace and a beacon of hope for the world.
Since its 2014 debut, “My Hero Academia” has amassed a colossal global fanbase, in addition to its critical acclaim. A part of publisher Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump since its launch, both the manga and the ongoing anime series from Bones Inc. & Toho Animation are considered among the best of the 2010s.
In 2019, the series won the Harvey award for best manga, and the anime series is currently in its fifth season. The series’ first two anime feature films, 2018’s “My Hero Academia: Two Heroes” and 2019’s “My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising” were major box office successes, racking up more than $50 million worldwide, in one of the most successful runs ever for anime titles. A third movie, titled “My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission,” was released in Japan by Toho on Aug. 6.
Sato first made waves in the film industry with his adaptation of Japanese zombie manga “I Am a Hero,” which won the SXSW Midnighter Audience award in 2016. After directing the acclaimed live-action adaptation of “Inuyashiki” in 2018, the filmmaker wrote and directed an adaptation of renowned manga “Bleach” for Warner Bros. Japan.
The Tokyo-based filmmaker most recently directed the critically-acclaimed 2019 film “Kingdom” for Sony, which spawned an in-process sequel with Sato returning to direct. In 2020, he also wrote and directed Netflix’s “Alice in Borderland” series, which has been picked up for a second season.
Sato is repped by WME and Grandview in the US and Origamix Partners in Japan.