Sony Pictures’ upcoming live-action One Punch Man movie has just landed its director, and it managed to attract some serious talent. Justin Lin, known for directing a substantial number of Fast & Furious movies as well as others like Star Trek Beyond, has taken the lead on the adaptation, likely giving many uncertain fans a reason to start hoping. If nothing else, the movie now has more potential for some truly epic action scenes.
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Lin made headlines a few months ago when he suddenly stepped down as director of the upcoming Fast X, causing production to halt as the scramble began to find a suitable replacement. While that did eventually happen when Louis Leterrier took over shortly after, it was still a shock for long-time fans of the franchise. Starting with The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Lin had 5 entries in the series under his belt, with Fast X all but guaranteed to be the 6th. But now, it seems his attention will be directed elsewhere.
One Punch Man began life in 2009 as a webcomic by Japanese artist ONE, quickly gaining a large cult following that led to a proper manga release in 2012 with new art by Yusuke Murata. The story follows Saitama, a superpowered man who can defeat any opponent with a single punch. Living his life as a superhero, he grows bored when none of the evil forces he takes down can come close to matching his strength. So he ultimately sets out on a journey to find a worthy opponent. The series is still running to this day.
Such an action-filled story seems right up Lin’s alley, so it will be interesting to see what he does with the material. He’ll be joining a talented team that includes Venom and Jumanji writers Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, hopefully giving audiences a clearer picture of what they can expect. Lin will also produce the film alongside Avi Arad and Ari Arad, whose impressive resume includes the Spider-Man and X-Men films.
Given the broad appeal of One Punch Man and its willingness to parody typical anime tropes, it makes sense that such a project would eventually get a western adaptation. It’s hard to predict how it will turn out, especially given how other anime adaptations have been received in the past. But it’s got a lot of genuine talent behind it, so that’s certainly a good start.
One Punch Man is set to begin production by the end of 2022.
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Source: Deadline
