The Live-Action Series Adaptation of the Anime SWORD ART ONLINE will Be Written By TOMB RAIDER Screenwriters
The popular anime series Sword Art Online is currently in the process of being adapted into a live-action series. The project has just taken a big step forward as Skydance Television has hired Patrick Massett and John Zinman to write the series. The two guys are best known for their work on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the Friday Night Lights series, The Blacklist, and Gold. The two will also executive produce the series.
I don't know if you've watched Sword Art Online, but that anime is really freakin' cool. I really hope that this live-action series does it justice. I actually like the fact that it's being adapted as a series instead of a movie because they will be able to actually tell more of the detailed story. I just hope the team behind it actually delivers a good quality show that fans of the anime will enjoy. I also hope that they are able to deliver some solid special effects to bring it to life.
Skydance Television president Marcy Ross offered the following statement:
“Patrick and John have shown incredible range in their storytelling capabilities, from subtle character drama to big, world-building action, and we are beyond fortunate that they have joined the Skydance family. We’re already deep in development with Patrick, John, and Laeta on our larger than life Skydance SAO series, in which we aim not only to satisfy the franchise’s enthusiastic sci-fi and anime fan base but also to appeal to new TV audiences the world over.”
Massett and Zinman had this to say in a joint statement:
“The fantastical world of SAO offers an unparalleled opportunity to tell stories that resonate on both an epic and human scale. We couldn’t ask for better partners than Skydance and Laeta to help us bring this global pop culture phenomenon to new life on television.”
The series was created by Reki Kawahara and the anime has two complete seasons. The series will follow a "brilliant young beta tester Kirito and his group of friends when they are trapped, along with 10,000 other people, in a next-generation virtual reality online role-playing game filled with swordfighting, monsters, and mystery."
When the adaptation was first announced it was stated that the studio would create a unique virtual reality experience for audiences to participate in once the show airs. We don't have a lot of details regarding what the technology will entail, but Skydance’s CEO David Elison previously said it would be a “full-scale and wide-ranging set of live action franchise extensions across our business verticals.”
Do you think this series is worth getting excited about?
Source: Deadline