Up and coming screenwriter Ellen Shanman is set to pen the Tiger & Bunny movie adaptation for Imagine Entertainment, All Nippon Entertainment Works (ANEW), and Bandai Namco Pictures, who are developing and producing the English-language live action feature film based on the smash hit Japanese anime series and feature films.
Ellen Shanman is the author of two novels from Random House/Bantam Dell, “Right Before Your Eyes” and “Everything Nice,” which she adapted for Charlize Theron’s Denver & Delilah Productions. Shanman also adapted the novel “Falling Out of Fashion” (now Liv) for 2S Films and Alcon Entertainment—loosely based on the rise and fall of magazine sensation Jane Pratt, and non-fiction, New York Times bestseller “Nothing Daunted” for Black Label Media. Most recently, she adapted YA superhero novel “The Brokenhearted” for New Line Cinema and Alloy Entertainment.
“As we move forward in developing the wonderful ‘Tiger & Bunny’ film, we are delighted to add a true rising star in Ellen Shanman to bring the story and characters to life,” stated Ron Howard. “Ellen’s strong, visionary, creative voice is a perfect match to adapt this wildly popular story for new audiences,” he continued.
The live-action film adaptation of Tiger & Bunny is being produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, ANEW’s CEO Sandy Climan and Annmarie Bailey, and Masayuki Ozaki on behalf of Bandai Namco Pictures, a subsidiary of Sunrise. Mr. Ozaki produced the original Japanese Tiger & Bunny brand under the Sunrise banner, one of Japan’s leading anime studios. Imagine’s President Erica Huggins will oversee the new film on behalf of Imagine Entertainment.
ANEW’s Senior Vice President of Development and Production Annmarie Bailey worked with Mr. Ozaki and Bandai Namco Pictures/Sunrise’s international business unit to acquire the live-action English language rights for the adaptation and co-production in a deal announced at New York Comic Con in October 2015.
The buddy hero Tiger & Bunny storylines take place in a near-futuristic city called “Stern Bild”,where professional superheroes known as “NEXT” fight crime and save lives. When the old school veteran, Kotetsu T. Kaburagi “Wild Tiger” is forced to collaborate with the fearless but cocky rookie partner Barnaby Brooks Jr. “BUNNY” the two polar opposite characters must learn to work as a team to fight evil, protect the city and save each other.
With characters and heroes designed by manga legend Masakazu Katsura, who is known for the very popular series “Wing-man,” “Video Girl” and “DNA²,” Tiger & Bunny first aired in Japan in 2011 as a late night TV series. The series finale ended with a live-viewing event at movie theaters nationwide where fans joined together to see its 25th and final episode. Two animated feature films quickly followed – Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning in 2012, and Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, in 2014. Both films were a box office success and are listed in the top 20 highest-grossing Japanese films originating from TV anime since 2012. Beloved by fans, the franchise continues to excite and engage its strong and loyal following and has grown to include live-action stage shows, exhibitions, concerts and merchandising through Bandai Namco.
In partnership with some of Hollywood’s leading producers, ANEW’s active development slate of English language adaptations of leading Japanese IP’s include the adaptation of 6000 in association with producer Mike Medavoy, Soul Reviver in association with Fields Corp. and filmmaker partners Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz of Bedford Falls Prods., a live action remake of Toei Animation’s robot anime Gaiking, with producer Gale Ann Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment, Inc. and three projects with Chris and Paul Weitz’s Depth of Field production shingle: Shield of Straw, Birthright and Ghost Train.
