Attack on Titan fans in the West might have something original to look forward to on the silver screen.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is in the process of trying to acquire the film rights for the manga and anime. Not much is known about the details at this time, but Deadline said Warner Bros. is looking to bring on Harry Potter franchise producer David Heyman on board.
This news comes eight days after the initial editor of Attack on Titan, Park Jung-Hyun, was arrested for the alleged murder of his wife in August 2016. He worked on the series back in 2009.
Despite the dark cloud looming over the franchise with Jung-Hyun’s arrest, Attack on Titan is one of the most popular manga franchises in the West with six of the series volumes slated as New York Time’s Best Sellers for Manga. That’s without mentioning the popularity of the anime, which if getting a second season in April after an almost four-year wait.
Still, this wouldn’t be the first time Attack on Titan hits movie screens. In Japan an Attack on Titan movie hit theatres in two parts, and was received with mixed reviews. Even without critical consensus, Attack on Titan: Part 1 earning $5.1 million USD on its opening weekend, making it the seventh highest grossing Japanese movie that year. Despite the success of the first movie, the sequel did not live up to expectations. Combined, both movies grossed around $46 million USD.
That should be a sign of hope for Warner Bros. who are reeling off the commercially successful, but critically bashed Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad movies with more DCU films in the works. Comics aside, WB’s Harry Potter spin off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (produced by Heyman) was a commercial success. CGM’s own Phil Brown reviewed the movie saying:
“Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is no masterpiece there’s no questioning that. It’s as convoluted of a movie as the title suggests. However, it is fun, imaginative, massive and goes well with popcorn.”
With Heyman’s name attached to the project, there is hope for a decent Attack on Titan Movie.
