Yakuza TV show sparks concern as cast claims they were told not to play the games
Amazon PrimeThe cast of the upcoming Like a Dragon: Yakuza TV show on Amazon was told not to play the games, and fans are now concerned about the series as a result.
Video game adaptations have always been rather contentious. While earlier works struggled to succeed critically and commercially, more recent TV shows like The Last of Us, The Witcher, and Fallout have all managed to buck the curse.
However, concerns over video game adaptations have again arisen following the universally panned release of the Borderlands movie. The upcoming Like a Dragon: Yakuza series is now another that is already drawing concern. The show is set to release on October 25, 2024, and is being developed by Amazon.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, the cast of the new Like a Dragon: Yakuza TV series revealed that they were told explicitly by Amazon not to play the games so that the series could explore the characters “from scratch.”
“I know these games – everybody in the world knows these games. But I haven’t played them. I’d like to try them but they had to stop me because they wanted to – for the character in the script – explore from scratch. That’s why I decided not to play,” admitted Kenot Katu, the actor set to play Akira Nishikiyama in the TV show.
However, Katu then went on to add that despite not playing the games, he and the rest of the cast have studied the franchise’s legacy.
“I definitely knew the property very well but I didn’t realize the franchise was this globally big. We decided we would make sure we would do our own version, relive the characters, take their spiritual elements, and embody them on our own. There was a clear line we wanted to draw but everything on the bottom was respect.”
Following this admission from the cast, some fans of the Like a Dragon franchise are now extremely concerned about the series’ quality.
One X user explained, “Yeah, this worked really well for… Halo, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon Ball Evolution, Ghost in the Shell, and so many others.”
Another described this decision as a “recipe for failure”. At the same time, others also questioned, “If people have no intention of using the source material, just make a brand new IP instead of trying to ride the coattails of another.”