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The Persona video game series is heading to television in live action. Netflix is officially developing a series based on the hit Japanese RPG video game franchise.
Christopher Monfette will write the adaptation. Shawn Levy and Robert Atwood of 21 Laps are on board as executive producers, alongside Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg, and Timothy I. Stevenson of Story Kitchen. SEGA’s Toru Nakahara will also executive produce. The series is being developed as part of 21 Laps’ overall deal with Netflix.
Variety was first to report on the deal. Netflix declined to comment on the situation.
Persona Netflix Series Officially In the Works
Persona is a hugely popular video game series that focuses on Japanese high school students who discover a secondary world of shadow monsters inspired by Jungian psychology. The games are split between two gameplay modes: managing the normal day-to-day life and social relationships of a teenager, and battling monsters in dungeons reflective of the major characters’ personalities.
There have been six games in the main Persona series (Persona 2 was split into two entries), which began a subfranchise of the Shin Megami Tensei series. However, the series became a breakout success with the release of Persona 3 in 2006, the first with the leadership of director Katsura Hashino. Since each game in the series stands on its own, Persona 3 and its sequels have become mini-franchises within the Persona franchise, each one seeing multiple re-releases and spinoffs that veer into other genres, including fighting games and dance games.
Persona 5, the most recent installment of the franchise, reached such a level of popularity that its protagonist, Joker, has made guest appearances in games from unrelated franchises, including becoming a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. More recently, the mobile game Persona 5: The Phantom X has become a hit, featuring characters from across the franchise. Persona 4 Revival, a remake of the popular fifth entry in the series, is due out in February. The announcement of Persona 6 earlier this month also gave fans of the series plenty to look forward to.
Previously, the Persona games were adapted into anime that expanded on their stories. There have also been stage play adaptations, but this will be the first live-action television adaptation.
