Kirito and Asuna in the popular TV anime series 'Sword Art Online' (Photo : YouTube)
Many are expecting the arrival of "Sword Art Online" season 3 following the success of season 2. However, it seems like that's far from happening.
Why? Well, despite the fact that many news has been written about the possibility of the third season of the highly-anticipated anime, A-1 Pictures has yet to announce any concrete details about it.
Since the finale of season 2, there had been no known official announcement from the anime studio of an upcoming season 3.
Before fans get disappointed, it should be noted that "Sword Art Online" is actually set to become a live-action series.
Apparently, Skydance Television, the giant production company under Paramount Pictures, has acquired the television rights to the said anime, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
While the fate of "Sword Art Online" season 3 remains to be unknown, it seems like the live-action series is in full speed ahead. In fact, famous writer who also penned "Terminator Genisys," Laeta Kalogridis, is set to scribe the pilot episode of the Japanese novel turned anime franchise.
"For years I have been inspired by the inventive and masterful storytelling of the SAO franchise," Kalogridis excitingly said of his involvement to the live-action series. "I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to work with such talented partners to bring this cutting-edge yet timeless story to a new format at Skydance."
In partnership with KADOKAWA Corporation, the story will the life of a young beta tester who is trapped with his friends and thousands of other people in a next-generation RPG where they have to fight to the death.
"At Skydance we are in the business of world-building and SAO is a massive pop-culture phenomenon from which we plan to launch a full-scale and wide-ranging set of live action franchise extensions across our business verticals, beginning with television," Skydance Media CEO David Ellison announced. "We look forward to working alongside Laeta, Reki Kawahara, and the teams at KADOKAWA and Aniplex to build out a deeply immersive new universe of SAO in an authentic way that honors its well-established fan base around the globe."
While he remains silent about the possible "Sword Art Online" season 3, author Reki Kawahara expressed his appreciation about the success of his novel.
"I am excited and moved that 'Sword Art Online' will be adapted into a live action series by the highly respected Skydance Media," Kawahara expressed as reported by Variety. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and gratitude to everyone involved in this project, and to the fans all over the world who have so generously and enthusiastically supported SAO."
"Sword Art Online" is a novel written by Reki Kawahara. The success of the light novel series was soon adapted to a Drama CD, a PSP game and of course, the ever-popular anime series, which was first released in 2013. Watch the video below for more updates on the upcoming season.
