Justin Lin will direct the One Punch Man live-action movie for Sony Pictures, according to Deadline. As reported back in 2020, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner are writing the script, and Lin is now working with them on a rewrite. Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Lin are producing the film, and Sony reportedly thinks this movie has franchise potential. (Then again, everything has franchise potential these days.)
Justin Lin had previously been slated to direct Fast X, but he left the project over creative differences and is now only a producer on that film. Reportedly, a “major disagreement” with franchise star Vin Diesel was a significant reason why he left the movie. However, One Punch Man will probably be an opportunity for Justin Lin to be more creative as director. Meanwhile, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner previously wrote the scripts to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Venom, so they have plenty of experience with action comedies.
One Punch Man began life as a web comic created by artist ONE, and it was later adapted as a Jump manga with art provided by Yusuke Murata. The manga has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and spawned a hit anime and a so-so video game, so now is a smart time for Sony to capitalize on that momentum with a live-action movie.
