Live-action adaptation of one of the most popular manga ever is moving forward with Rick and Morty co-creator on board

One-Punch Man
(Image credit: J.C. STAFF)

The live-action movie adaptation of One Punch Man is moving ahead – and, now, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon is onboard. 

News that Fast & Furious 9 director Justin Lin would helm a live-action adaptation of the famous manga broke back in 2022, but news on the project has been quiet since then. 

Tucked away in a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter is the news that Lin's adaptation, which is at Sony, is currently undergoing rewrites from Harmon and comedian (and Rick and Morty co-executive producer) Heather Anne Campbell. In 2022, Jumanji: The Next Level and Venom co-writers Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner were said to be writing the script with Lin, and the hope was to begin production by the end of 2022. Clearly, that didn't happen, but this latest update is promising. 

One Punch Man is one of the highest selling manga series ever, and it also has a popular anime adaptation, too. In fact, the anime is returning for One Punch Man season 3 after a five year break and has released one epic trailer teasing what's to come. 

The manga follows Saitama, a superhero powerful enough to end any opponent with – you guessed it – one punch, in a world terrorized by supervillains and monsters. But, that makes winning battles fairly boring, and he ends up mentoring a vengeful cyborg named Genos.

There's no further information on the One Punch Man movie just yet, since it's so early in development. While you wait, check out our guide to the best anime on Netflix and our choices of the best anime to watch now to fill out your watchlist. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
One-Punch Man
One-Punch Man season 3: release date, new trailer, and everything we know so far
Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling season 2 arise from the shadow
Following its major anime success, Solo Leveling is getting a live-action adaptation
Invincible season 3
Invincible finally lets its One-Punch Man parody mirror his anime counterpart during the season 3 premiere
Saitama in One-Punch Man season 3
A One-Punch Man controversy has erupted after it was revealed the divisive new season 3 trailer was the work of only one animator: "Morale isn't great right now"
Saitama in One-Punch Man season 3
One-Punch Man season 3's return date has been narrowed down – thanks to this hard-hitting new trailer
All You Need is Kill anime
Graphic novel that inspired one of Tom Cruise's highest-rated actioners is being turned into an anime movie
Latest in Anime Movies
Ahead of his new Gundam series, Evangelion's director reveals he's currently writing scripts for five more anime projects
Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle
A new anime movie is "the world’s first fully interactive theatrical film" with 48 different versions – and requires you to use your phone to choose its ending
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man movie release date confirmed
Claymore
Over 20 years later, live-action adaptation of beloved Claymore manga and anime in development by Heroes star
San in warpaint next to wolf Moro in Princess Mononoke
28 years after its original release, one of the best Studio Ghibli movies is getting a restored IMAX re-release
Ultraman: Rising still from the movie
Director of popular Netflix anime Ultraman: Rising offers disappointing update on sequel
Latest in News
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong
Skyrim
Ex-Bethesda dev says his new studio isn't making a "little Skyrim," but does channel a key part of the iconic RPG: "Stuff got built because somebody cared about building it"
Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Thunderbolts
The new Thunderbolts teaser namedrops the Avengers twice, less than a day after the cast was confirmed for Doomsday