Paramount Pictures is partnering with Hasbro to develop the live-action film adaptation of Beyblade, based on the classic Japanese spinning-top toy franchise by Takara Tomy. According to Deadline, Jerry Bruckheimer (National Treasure, Pirates of the Caribbean) has signed on to the project to serve as its producer.
RELATED: New Transformers Animated Series Greenlit by Nickelodeon & Hasbro
The live-action Beyblade movie will be written by Neil Widener and Gavin James, who are also currently working on the screenplays for upcoming films such as Warner Bros.’ Hourman, Now You See Me 3, and Lionsgate’s Micro.
The toy franchise was first launched in 1999 and was originally developed by the Japanese toy company Takara. The toy line’s concept is similar to battling tops, which pits two players to play against each other with their cool and unique-looking tops called Beyblades which they will be launching in shallow plastic tub-like arena called a Beystadium. The player wins once the opponent’s Beyblade stops spinning or has been knocked out from the arena.
RELATED: Kyle Allen to Play He-Man as Masters of the Universe Live-Action Film Heads to Netflix
A Beyblade manga series was also published at the same time as the toy line’s debut. It was written and illustrated by Takao Aoki. It was then followed by an anime adaptation, centering around the character of Takao Kinomiya. It ran on-air for 51 episodes in 2001. After that, two more sequels titled Beyblade V-Force and Beyblade G-Revolution were produced in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
