Has enough of Persona’s identity been retained to keep fans happy?

As audiences show signs of comic book superhero fatigue, an increasing number of Hollywood executives are looking to video games as a source of adaptable IPs, and it appears Persona is going to be the next series tapped for that purpose. Variety is reporting that Netflix is in the process of developing a live-action streaming series based on the hit RPG originally published by Atlus and now part of the Sega corporate family.

In recent years, Netflix’s Japanese division has become pretty active in content production, but it doesn’t look like the Netflix Persona is going to be produced in the game series’ home country. According to Variety’s report, Christopher Monfette, whose credits as a producer include RV series 9-1-1 and streaming series Star Trek: Picard, will be writing and serving as showrunner and one of many executive producers for the live-action Persona. The only Japanese crew member currently attached to the project is Toru Nakahara, who serves as Sega’s U.S.-based point man for its Hollywood ventures such as the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, and who is also listed as an executive producer for the live-action Persona.

There’s no word yet as to which part of the Persona video game series Netflix is going to be adapting. Though games in the franchise share similar gameplay mechanics, motifs, and themes, each numbered installment is largely treated as a standalone entity in terms of its plot and cast. Persona 5 is the most recent numbered title in the series, but its initial version came out all the way back in 2016. As such, the upcoming updated re-release of Persona 4, slated to go on sale in 2027, might be the more attractive candidate for Netflix and Sega, if their aim is to create some cross-media marketing buzz.

▼ Preview trailer for the Persona 4 Revival video game

Persona 6 was also announced as being officially in development just last month, but it seems unlikely that Sega would want a brand-new game in the series, and its first entirely new numbered installment in over a decade, to share the spotlight with a live-action spinoff.

So can Persona work as a live-action series? It’s got a number of things that could make for a smooth transition. Though the games do get into some wild, psychedelic visuals during climactic moments, a lot of the story and character development takes place in the ordinary real world, with its teen characters socially linking through conversations at school and hanging out doing stuff that shouldn’t be too hard to replicate in live-action. That format should allow Netflix to concentrate its visual effects budget on scenes of fantastical punctuation.

It’s unknown whether Netflix will be keeping the setting for its Persona in Japan, where the games take place. With Variety’s report showing seven of the eight executive producers are non-Japanese, though, a shift to the U.S. or another Western country seems likely. To be fair, Persona’s magical elements don’t draw particularly from traditional Japanese mythology, but the games’ casts are almost always Japanese highschoolers (Persona 2 being the exception, but also one of the less popular games in the franchise), so taking the characters out of that environment and its influences could shift the town away from what fans are used to. It’s also worth remembering that when Netflix opted to set its Death Note live-action adaptation outside Japan, the decision didn’t go over well with those familiar with the source material.

On the other hand, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of One Piece has been met with a warmer response than many people expected, so maybe they’ll be able to find similar success with Persona.

Source: Variety via Hachima Kiko
Images: YouTube/atlustube
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