Rumors of Solo Leveling being adapted into a live-action film have been around for a while, so this news isn't completely surprising.
So far, not much is known about this live-action film adaptation. It's not even clear whether it will be a movie (or a series) or another TV show.
It seems that the film will separately adapt the side story Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, set after Solo Leveling and focusing on Sung Suho (Sung Jinwoo's son).
Fans of Solo Leveling are right to be worried about a live-action adaptation
Every project has good potential. However, anime fans have a long list of adaptations that failed to meet expectations. While Hollywood movies or shows based on manga have failed (like Death Note or Dragon Ball), many Japanese live-action adaptations have also failed to match their original storylines.
There are also some examples of well-received live action series, like Alice in Borderland, but that series is a bit more realistic than Solo Leveling, so it would be easier to adapt.
Right now, there is one show that has become a prime example of how to adapt an action-packed fantasy story into a live-action film: Netflix's One Piece.
Compared to other live-action adaptations, One Piece has so far received a more positive response, pleasing fans and even those who have never heard of the manga or anime.
What can Solo Leveling learn from Netflix's One Piece?
While it's difficult to list exactly why a movie is successful, there are still important lessons that can be learned from the One Piece franchise.
First, series creator Eiichiro Oda was closely involved in the production process, working with Netflix to ensure the adaptation respected the manga's plot and atmosphere.
In the case of Solo Leveling, this meant consulting with the creators of the Ragnarok webtoon (Daul and JIN), as Solo Leveling's creator, Chugong, was not closely involved in the sequel.
Another important lesson is ensuring an appropriate budget for the adaptation. One Piece is an exception, as it has the backing of Netflix, but Kakao should still consider the adaptation a top priority and invest as much as possible.
Finally, another thing One Piece does well is the way it adapts a fantasy manga while still remembering that it's a live-action series. There's a tendency for live-action adaptations to try to imitate manga (or even anime) too much, and then they get weird, because some things just work for animation or the medium. comic.
At the same time, other adaptations try to make the story look too realistic, almost as if the work is ashamed of the source material. In these cases, it downplays the fantasy atmosphere in favor of a more “realistic” approach, and that often keeps fans away.
If the live-action Solo Leveling project can balance the fantasy elements of the story with the realistic possibilities of a live-action film or series, as One Piece did, then this could become a of the few fan-favorite adaptations.
