I don’t know about all of you, but I’m loving Terminator: Zero. Though I haven’t finished the 2024 Netflix series, the anime set in the universe of James Cameron’s all-time great sci-fi movie franchise has a great story and wild animation. As I’ve been watching, I can’t help but think about other franchises I would love to see get the anime treatment at some point in the future.
Some of these picks have already been turned into live-action TV shows or animated series, but they have never received a proper anime series that approaches the source material with a fresh set of eyes and a new perspective. I think each of these properties would be well-suited for the medium and a ton of fun to watch.
Alien
With the box office success of Alien: Romulus and FX’s upcoming Alien: Earth live-action series coming in the near future, it’s safe to say the iconic franchise is alive and well. What better way to capitalize on the success of Alien’s resurging popularity than by giving it an anime series set somewhere in the property’s sometimes confusing timeline?
It wouldn’t have to be about Ellen Ripley, though Neil Blomkamp’s awesome sequel idea would be awesome in anime form, and instead could be about new characters living through the pattern of finding a strange organism, having it burst out of someone’s chest, and then trying to escape an almost perfect xenomorph. In an ideal world, there could be multiple seasons with each telling a new story set somewhere deep in space.
Predator
Though there is reportedly a finished Alien vs. Predator anime series locked up in the Disney vault, according to Bloody Disgusting, there’s a good chance we’ll probably never get to see what the show had in store for us. That said, I would still love to see a series based on at least Predator, as the franchise has shown time and time again that it can work when creative forces are willing to try new things.
With animated anthology series like What If and Tales of Jedi finding audiences, I think a Predator anime set in different historical periods would be cool to see. We could have one season set in feudal Japan, another set during the French Revolution, another deep in the heart of Africa, and so forth. Disney really needs to make this happen.
Mad Max
I understand that Fuiosa: A Mad Max Saga didn’t perform well at the box office and we may never see another movie set in George Miller’s wasteland because of the bomb, but that doesn’t mean the franchise has to be over and done with, right? Well, imagine if Warner Bros. turned its attention to creating an anime series in the vein of Terminator: Zero that tells one of Miller’s unproduced ideas on a smaller (and probably less expensive) scale.
There was a pretty sweet Mad Max: Fury Road prequel comic series that was released around the same time as the 2015 action flick, and I think that could be a cool series to adapt and fill in some of the gaps between the Mel Gibson-led movies and the more recent additions to the franchise. This four-issue series explored various characters from the wasteland and I would love to see those stories unfold in an animated series that combines elements of anime and Miller’s distinct visual style.
Planet Of The Apes
Planet of the Apes has grown a great deal over the years, going from a popular book to a landmark film to a massive multimedia brand with movies, TV shows, cartoons, and multiple reboots. Because Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has given new life to the franchise, I think now’s a good time to come out with an anime series set somewhere in the franchise’s timeline.
I’m fully aware of the Return to the Planet of the Apes Saturday morning cartoon that aired on NBC back in 1975, but the show only lasted a single season and shouldn’t prevent an anime based on the property from seeing the light of day. The gap between War for the Planet of the Apes and Kingdom is a vast one, so it would be cool if we got to see at least some of what happened in the hundreds of years between the two.
Stargate
I have fond memories of Stargate as a kid, and I’ll never forget the first time I watched it at a friend’s sleepover the summer between second and third grade. There was just something about the look and tone of Rolan Emmerich’s sci-fi adventure that prevented me from looking away from the screen or thinking about it while I was trying to sleep that night. Thirty years later, I want to see an anime series that either revisits one of the best ‘90s sci-fi movies or at least is set in its universe.
Yeah, there have been a few TV shows (both live-action and animated) based on one of Kurt Russell’s best movies, but I would love a nitty-gritty and incredibly violent series with stylized animation and all that anime flair. Hell, you could even bring back Russell and James Spader to reprise their roles and take us off to another alien world with a culture modeled after a different ancient civilization.
Men In Black
Remember Men in Black: The Series, the cartoon based on the hit Will Smith movie? If not, make sure to check it out because it’s a ton of fun and further expands upon the lore and characters of the sci-fi action flick. That said, the show has been off the air for nearly 25 years at this point, and I think now would be the perfect time to retool the franchise as an anime.
I mean, Men in Black is one of the best comic book movies not from DC or Marvel, and there’s a lot that could be explored from the short-lived yet influential six-issue run. It would be great to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones come back and voice their famous characters, but if they weren’t willing or able to, I still think there’s enough fun to be had in this sandbox.
Metal Gear Solid
There has been a lot of talk about a Metal Gear Solid movie over the years, but I, for one, have grown tired of waiting for the upcoming video game adaptation to finally come to fruition. However, I do have an idea for how Konami could introduce its iconic tactical espionage action series to a new audience: anime.
There are unofficial anime series inspired by Hideo Kojima’s landmark action video game, but none of those have ever had the seal of approval from Komani or anyone associated with the franchise. I would be fine with anything set in the world of Metal Gear, be it straight-up adaptations of the games or new stories about Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Les Enfants Terribles, the shadowy government project that cloned Big Boss to super soldiers. Maybe even a proper ending for Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain.
I don’t know if any of these will happen (they should), but there are a lot of great 2024 TV shows we can watch right with a Netflix subscription, like Terminator: Zero.
