It looks like Netflix, flush off their success adapting Cowboy Bebop, have cast their eyes towards another beloved Japanese character: Mega Man.
As picked up by Rockman Corner, the website for Henry Joost and Rel Schulman’s production company Supermarché has a section on their website where they talk about upcoming projects, and among it all is this bit about the Blue Bomber:
Henry, Rel, and their in-house producer Orlee-Rose Strauss maintain an active development slate. Features in the works include: an adaptation of Capcom’s MEGA MAN for Chernin Entertainment and Netflix, which they wrote and are directing.
The movie itself isn’t the news here. A live-action Mega Man film was first reported back in 2018, and was attached to Chernin Entertainment, the same company listed on Supermarché’s website. The 2018 announcement even said Henry Joost and Rel Schulman — who have previously worked on the Paranormal Activity series — were going to write and direct the movie, so nothing has changed there.
What’s new here is the Netflix angle, perhaps helped along because Joost and Schulman made Project Power for the steaming service last year. This can be seen as good news because unlike Hollywood Netflix actually seems to be able to get stuff like this made, but which is also bad news because the platform’s recent track record with adapting stuff — The Witcher aside — has been dreadful, to the point where it’s now a well-worn meme.
Back in 2018 Capcom described the movie announcement as:
Based on the influential and globally beloved Mega Man franchise, Capcom aims to appeal to a diverse audience, including not only game players but action movie fans as well, with an adaptation that maintains the world of the Mega Man games, while incorporating the grand production and entertainment value that Hollywood movies are known for.
It remains to be seen if kicking it down to Netflix is able to keep any of that promised “grand production and entertainment value”.