No Time To Die director Cary Fukunaga has been one of the most intriguing filmmakers to watch for some time, from True Detective’s stunning first season anf the critically-acclaimed Netflix film Beasts of No Nation to his offbeat sci-fi drama Maniac. As we wait for his take on James Bond, Fukunaga has already lined up his next project, and it’s going to be an adaptation of a stylistic comic book series.
Legendary Pictures is making a movie based off the Image Comics series Tokyo Ghost, and Cary Fukunaga has been tapped to direct it. The 10-issue science fiction series that was published from 2015 to 2017 is a cyberpunk comic that takes place in an imagined 2089 where humanity has become completely addicted to technology to fully escape reality. The comic book’s creator, Rick Remender, will pen the script for the Tokyo Ghost movie, per The Hollywood Reporter.
The comic focuses on two main characters, Debbie Decay and Led Dent, who are peacekeepers working in Los Angeles until they are given a job to venture in a tech-less country known as the Garden Nation of Tokyo. Tokyo Ghost could draw comparisons to Mad Max: Fury Road, Blade Runner or Akira, with roots in classic literature likened to 1984 or Brave New World. There’s an expansive sci-fi world at play here that could spawn sequels if the first movie becomes a hit.
Rick Remender previously worked with the Russo Brothers to bring to life his other famous comic book series, Deadly Class. The series was given one season on Syfy in 2019 and starred All the Boys actress Lana Condor and Doctor Strange’s Benedict Wong, but it was unfortunately cancelled by the network. On the other hand, a recent adaptation of the Image Comics’ serie, The Old Guard made a huge splash on Netflix last year and may spawn sequels.
Hollywood has had mixed success with the publisher’s series. The Walking Dead is the most popular example of Image Comics' capacity for success, but other properties that have derived from the publisher are 2008's Wanted, the Kick-Ass movies and 1997’s Spawn. Tokyo Ghost is a great example of an untapped sci-fi property that has major potential, but we’ll have to follow along and see how its development shakes out.
Next up for Cary Fukunaga is No Time To Die, the long-awaited finale to Daniel Craig’s 007, which was initially going to come out in Spring 2020 before theatrical shifts had to be made due to COVID-19. The movie that will also feature Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas in action, Rami Malek playing a nefarious villain, and an already award-winning theme song by Billie Eilish is slated to come out on October 8. Until then, you can check out the full 2021 release calendar here on CinemaBlend.
