The only protagonist more overpowered than Goku—Saitama has been charming audiences for almost a decade. After manga, anime, OVA, and video games, it’s time for the iconic One-Punch Man to come alive!
The most popular Seinen series reigning on global charts for a long, One-Punch Man has become a comfort story for many. Whether you know the City Z hero from One’s original best-selling manga, or got introduced to him through the Madhouse anime adaptation, Saitama lands on everyone’s list of best fictional heroes after you enter his world even once.
Despite having a seemingly simple plot, the series has gained worldwide acclaim and popularity. It follows the story of Saitama, a superhero capable of destroying any foe with a single blow. In search of more deserving opponents, our ever-powerful hero joins the Hero Association, an organization that sends superheroes to battle evil on the supercontinent Earth. The plot then takes a linear format as he defeats powerful villains posing a threat to the city and struggles to become an A-Class hero.
If you’ve been following Saitama’s fabulous story through any medium, you must wonder how it would feel if Saitama was a real-life superhero. Thankfully, Sony was in the same boat as us and announced a live-action film adaptation of the superhero parody tale under Columbia Pictures in 2020. Four years later, fans are wondering if the film is all set to spread Saitama’s glory over the big screens yet.
One-Punch Man live-action movie release window
We’ve all been responsibly patient ever since the announcement of the live-action adaptation of One-Punch Man crowded the news networks. However, there’s been an awkward and enraging silence from the production end when it comes to giving updates about the project. Do you agree that we deserve an update now?
Sadly, all that’s confirmed currently is that the developments in the film production are moving forward and the live-action adaptation is happening in all reality. Though the original plan of Columbia Pictures was to begin production by the end of 2022, it got drastically delayed. Regardless, fans can rest assured that the project is moving ahead and will be here sooner or later.
However, an exact release date or a release window is yet to be disclosed by the production. At best, One-Punch Man live-action will hit the big screens in the fourth quarter of 2024 or during Winter/Spring next year.
One-Punch Man live-action movie plot
In all probabilities, the live-action film will be an adaptation of the original webcomic by One or the manga remake illustrated by Yusuke Murata. As of Jan. 2024, the webcomic has 150 chapters, while as of March 2024, 30 volumes of the manga have been published. So, the film will focus on concentrating the voluminous source material into a 2-3 hr enjoyable treat.
This means the live-action will see Saitama, an overpowered hero who has defeated all his enemies thus far with a single punch. He gets bored with his superior strength and reluctantly starts mentoring Genos—a cyborg who is out to get revenge on another cyborg who killed his family and devastated his hometown.
One-Punch Man live-action movie crew
Two years after the initial announcement, the directing chair for the One-Punch Man live-action was finally filled by Justin Lin. The Taiwanese-American director and producer has already proven his brilliance in the field with his directorial work on several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, Star Trek Beyond (2016), and Better Luck Tomorrow (2002).
In the most recent development in April 2024, Dan Harmon and Heather Anne Campbell were hired to rewrite the script for the film. Harmon is best known for his excellent scriptwriting in popular comedies like Community and Rick and Morty. So, we have quite the perfect man to match Saitama’s comedic sensibilities in the live-action adaptation.
One-Punch Man live-action movie cast
The most important and difficult part of adapting any beloved animated or written story into a live-action format is finding the perfect cast. Saitama’s image is engraved in the heads of millions, and finding a suitable actor to portray his nuances to perfection is essential to the success of the adaptation.
So far, Columbia Pictures has not announced the cast of the live-action film. However, it’s not long till we hear from them since developments on the film have already begun. Once the script is all sorted (currently being re-written), a cast will be finalized, which will then be followed by the filming of the movie. Though it appears to be a long road ahead, we hope things will pick up at a faster pace now.
