Recent successes in the Japanese anime industry include the emergence of breakout hits such asAttack on Titan, the record-breaking grosses ofDemon Slayer: Mugen Train, and a general groundswell of attention on anime pop culture—have motivated Hollywood to attempt adaptations of anime films and series. Now,Sony Pictures, which owns both Crunchyroll and Funimation, might be distributing a version ofMade in Abysssoon, and the project already has a director attached.
Made in Abyss, a critically-acclaimed anime that won the Crunchyroll Anime Award for Anime Of The Year for 2017 releases, takes place in an archeology community nestled above a huge abyss. The anime’s story begins when a fledgling explorer, the precocious twelve-year-old girl Riko, meets an android boy named Reg, who accompanies her on a journey into the abyss to find her long-lost mother. The two “delvers” soon come across more than they bargained for, as the abyss introduces more and more monsters, harsh terrain, and treacherous people as they descend further and further down. The anime series garnered widespread praise and attention and has so far spawned an in-canon sequel film,Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul, as well as a video game by Spike Chunsoft titledMade in Abyss: Binary Star Falling Into Darkness.
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TheMade in Abyssanime is based on a manga series by Akihito Tsukushi, though it is not yet answered as to whether he is involved in the feature film adaptation. Deadline reports Kevin McMullin, the writer/director of an independent film released by A24 calledLow Tide, is drafting the script for Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures, whileIt(2017)producer Roy Lee andHeroesactor Masi Oka will produce. That producing team is especially notable, as both are involved in producing another anime adaptation, an Amazon series based on Shonen Jump’sThe Promised Neverland.
Reactions to the news of aMade in AbyssHollywood film by anime fans have been mixed for the most part, though the anime fanbase is notoriously skeptical ofHollywood’s anime remakesthanks to previous adaptations likeDragonball EvolutionandGhost in the Shell.Made in Abyss, specifically, has a strong chance of being difficult to adapt without the use of major departures from the source material for reasons ranging from the runtime time constraints to efforts to avoid the story’s controversial elements like gore, violence, and sexual thematic elements.
Regardless,Made in Abyssis an ingenious story with a beautifully imaginative setting and an abundance of universal appeal. Hollywood may be hit or miss when it comes to adaptations of anime films and series (though hits are possible), but if Hollywood must feel compelled to adapt anime, then it’s hard to think of a recent series that’s as deserving asMade in Abyss.
Made in Abyssis currently in development.
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