A Yakuza movie will go ahead – but only if it’s the bee’s knees.
During a Tokyo Gameshow 2020 livestream, Nagoshi said of the potential film:
If Nagoshi did not agree to the creative vision of the Yakuza movie he’d have the power to nix the project altogether:
Given Hollywood’s awkward history with video game licenses, some may consider Nagoshi’s skepticism of the Yakuza movie justified. Video game adaptations have often been critical and commercial failures, with Super Mario Bros., Warcraft and Need For Speed being among them.
Notable exceptions to this trend (at least in the commercial arena) are Paul Wes Anderson’s Resident Evil movies and the Jim Fowler-helmed Sonic the Hedgehog from this year. The latter film earned a worldwide total of $308.3 million on a $81–95 million budget and got a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
