Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a new anime series based on – you guessed it – the graphic novels centered on the same titular bassist, is set to land on Netflix in a matter of weeks. When the streamer first approached creator Bryan Lee O'Malley about the show, though, he turned 'em down.
"I was like 'Hell no!'", the author tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features David Tennant as Doctor Who on the cover. Fortunately, however, his long-time pal-turned-co-showrunner BenDavid Grabinski inadvertently persuaded him to change his mind when O'Malley mentioned the proposal during a random get-together.
"Almost everything I mentioned over that dinner is in the show," Grabinski admits. "There are a lot of twists and turns, and most of them came together extremely quickly, just in that conversation.
- The Russo brothers’ upcoming Netflix movie The Electric State includes a section that takes place before the graphic novel due to its "vague narrative"
- The Russo Brothers and The Electric State cast talk the Netflix movie's "stunning" VFX – and say the graphic novel's creator is "fully supportive" of the movie lightening the tone
"That was not a meeting with the goal of doing a show, but Bryan went back to Netflix and said, 'Hey, I know what the show wants to be, and I know who I want to do it with.' And now, years later, we have a show."
"That dinner will become legend among certain fans," O'Malley adds with a smile.
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O'Malley's novels and Edgar Wright's 2010 feature adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, follows Scott, a Toronto-living slacker and musician, who finds himself fighting the seven evil exes of his new crush Ramona Flowers in an attempt to win her affections. Considering that the show is being described as "a new adventure", set to fresh tunes by Anamanaguchi, it'll likely focus on another stage of Scott and Ramona's relationship.
The movie's voice cast, including Brie Larson, Chris Evans, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Michael Cera reprise their roles in the 2D Netflix outing. Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Mark Webber, Satya Bhabha, Brandon Routh, Mae Whitman, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Alison Pill, Johnny Simmons, and Kieran Culkin do, too.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off releases on Netflix on November 17. The above is just a snippet from our interview with O'Malley and Grabinski in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 1. Keep up to date with all things SFX by signing up to the newsletter, which sends all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
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