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Sony is pushing ahead with a 'One-Punch Man' movie from 'Venom' writers

Tom Beasley
·Contributor
·2-min read
'One-Punch Man' moved from manga to anime in 2015. (Credit: Madhouse)
'One-Punch Man' moved from manga to anime in 2015. (Credit: Madhouse)

Cult manga and anime superhero One-Punch Man is set to make his way to the big screen, courtesy of Sony and the screenwriters behind Venom.

Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner have been hired by Spider-Man producer Avi Arad to adapt the Japanese hero for the multiplex, Variety reports.

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The character, named Saitama, is a bored hero in search of a villain strong enough that he can’t defeat them with a single blow.

He was created in 2009 by Japanese artist ONE in the form of a webcomic, which later spawned a manga and an anime series.

The series, in particular, earned cult popularity after it became available on Netflix.

Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg attend Netfix's "Everything Sucks!" series premiere on January 31, 2018. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg attend Netfix's "Everything Sucks!" series premiere on January 31, 2018. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Rosenberg and Pinkner are heavily in demand in Hollywood, having written both recent installments in the Jumanji franchise as well as Venom, penned alongside Kelly Marcel.

Read more: Ruben Fleischer doesn’t know why people hated Venom

The Venom sequel — written by Marcel, without Rosenberg and Pinkner — was delayed this week in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It was officially given the title Venom: Let There Be Carnage, in relation to the fan favourite character portrayed by Woody Harrelson and introduced in the post-credits scene of the 2018 film.

The movie had been due to arrive in October, but will now be released in June 2021.

Tom Hardy in Venom (Credit: Sony Pictures)
Tom Hardy in Venom (Credit: Sony Pictures)

As a producer, Arad has helped to shepherd Sony’s growing library of superhero-themed projects, including Venom as well as the Spider-Man franchise.

The studio is building an extended universe with its Spidey-adjacent characters, though it’s unclear whether the agreement between Sony and Disney will allow the webslinger to join this universe.

Morbius — the latest addition to the Sony superhero world — has also been delayed due to the global health emergency and will now arrive in March 2021, introducing Jared Leto’s vampiric title character.

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No timetable has currently been set for the One-Punch Man project.