Sword Art Online, the Japanese series of “light novels” that became an extremely successful and popular anime series in 2012, is about to make an even bigger dent in pop culture. Skydance Media, whose television credits include Manhattan and Grace and Frankie, has acquired the television rights for Sword Art Online and is fast-tracking the series for a live-action debut. The pilot for the series is being written by Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Terminator Genisys), and Skydance CEO David Ellison says that he has plans for the series to go far beyond television and is looking to “launch a full-scale and wide-ranging set of live action franchise extensions across our business verticals.” As for what exactly that means, we’ll just have to wait and see.
The 2012 anime adaptation of Sword Art Online is described as follows:
In the year 2022, thousands of people get trapped in a new virtual MMORPG and the lone wolf player, Kirito, works to escape.
The franchise has also expanded into the world of video games, and the next entry in the video game series, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, is scheduled to be released this fall.
Skydance Media’s recent production credits include Terminator Genisys, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Star Trek Beyond. Their next theatrical release will be Jack Reacher: Never Go Back this October.
Are you looking forward to a live-action adaptation of Sword Art Online? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
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