The Perfect Attack On Titan Live-Action Movie Would Be Impossible To Pull Off For 1 Simple Reason

The ideal Attack on Titan Hollywood live-action would be incredibly challenging to pull off due to the iconic anime’s scale and level of violence. Based on Hajime Isayama’s best-selling manga, Attack on Titan was one of the most popular anime series in the world for years and continues to bring in new fans even after its conclusion. While Attack on Titan’s ending was recently revisited on the big screen with a recap movie, The Last Attack was not the franchise’s first movie. Years before the manga was concluded, Attack on Titan received two Japanese live-action films.

Attack on Titan: Part 1 and Attack on Titan: Part 2 were both released in 2015 and covered the first few arcs of Eren Yeger’s saga. Although the movies could only do so much in terms of accuracy considering they were adapting an unfinished story, the live-action Attack on Titan films made many changes to the source material, most of which were not well received. Given that AoT has only become more popular since 2015, the IP has certainly caught the attention of Hollywood. However, making a faithful Attack on Titan adaptation would not be easy.

The Ideal Attack On Titan Live-Action Movie Would Have To Be An R-Rated Blockbuster

Attack On Titan Starts As An Action-Packed, Terrifying Horror Story

In 2018, Variety reported that Its director Andy Muschietti was set to direct a live-action Attack on Titan movie for Warner Bros. However, no updates followed the original report, and, over six years later, it is unclear whether the project as originally described is happening. Regardless, with One Piece season 1 topping Netflix charts and a Naruto movie in the works, it should only be a matter of time before a live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan from Hollywood gets back on the table. That said, Attack on Titan would have to be a big-budget R-rated film for it to work.

While the truth about Eren Yeager and the world where he grew up recontextualizes everything, the early days of Attack on Titan can be described as a horror story where the monsters are giant creatures whose only purpose is to eat humans. Attack on Titan is one of the most violent anime in recent history, and its horrors go way beyond the graphic elements. Hollywood is no stranger to gory movies and R-rated horror films, but Attack on Titan would also have to be a blockbuster full of visual effects and set pieces to make the anime justice.

Hollywood Isn’t Ready To Bet On An R-Rated Big-Budget Live-Action Anime Movie

Live-Action Anime Movies Are Still A Tricky Genre

R-rated movies are usually made on smaller budgets compared to PG-13 movies, as the latter will have a much broader appeal compared to the former and will naturally have bigger potential at the box office. However, it would be all but impossible to make an Attack on Titan live-action movie with a small budget considering the manga’s scope and scale. Part of what makes Attack on Titan so great is to see hopeless humans going up against giant monsters – the Titans – which can only be achieved through visual effects.

A proper Attack on Titan adaption would have to be comparable to the Godzilla vs. Kong or Transformers movies, all of which are among the most expensive blockbusters of recent years. Still, making a PG-13 Attack on Titan movie would be just as difficult. Without the visual impact of all the death and destruction caused by the Titans, Eren’s journey to “kill every single Titan” would not hit the same. Movies like Deadpool & Wolverine and Oppenheimer had no trouble being R-rated summer blockbusters, but Hollywood simply isn’t ready to bet on an anime adaptation to do the same.

Recent R-Rated Hits Mean Attack On Titan Could Be Very Successful If Done Right

Deadpool & Wolverine Was The Latest R-Rated Movie To Gross Over $1 Billion

Live-action anime adaptations from Hollywood have yet to prove themselves as a viable genre, particularly when it comes to theatrical movies. What One Piece has accomplished is incredible and will change the game, but we still need to see anime adaptions doing great at the box office before something like Attack on Titan can be done. That said, the success of films such as Oppenheimer and Deadpool & Wolverine is an important reminder that R-rated movies can make for successful blockbusters.

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Like Deadpool & Wolverine, Attack on Titan would have the advantage of being tied to a popular IP, although the film would also have to bring in people who are not familiar with the anime for it to be a hit. Despite all the challenges that would come with the project, a big-budget Attack on Titan movie made with a lot of care for the source material would make for an incredible cinematic experience, ranging from fun kaiju action to horrifying moments.

Source: Variety