After the staggering flop of Dragonball: Evolution, we were sort of hoping that we’d be free of Pokémon-style games/anime getting adapted into Hollywood movies for a while, but now it looks like Harald Zwart wants to have a crack at one, locking on to direct Bakugan Battle Brawlers for Universal.
The game features the gimmick of small balls that look like marbles yet spring open into battling beasts once they’re rolled on game cards. The aim is to first capture three “gate” cards that can unlock the brawling monstoids powers and make sure you have the more powerful creatures.
Despite not exactly being the target demographic for the pastime, which has been named Toy of the Year for two years running across the pond and is huge in its native Japan, Zwart’s interest makes more sense when you consider that he turned the remake of The Karate Kid into a big hit this year. And he’s also got his fingers in another game adaptation – though just as executive producer this time – overseeing the transformation of Rollercoaster Tycoon into a possible film.
There’s no word on when (or even if) Bakugan will hit our screens, but considering that Universal seems to be interested in just about every toy property out there right now, this’ll probably make its way quickly through development.