Norman Reedus Teases Chainsaw Man Live-Action Adaptation — Is It Finally Happening?

Right, Norman Reedus has been at it again—this time yakking about anime at a comic con in Hong Kong. In an exchange with GQ, the bloke who’s still best known for not dying on The Walking Dead let slip he’s recently caught the Chainsaw Man bug. And as it turns out, this wasn’t random—he was nudged in that direction by none other than Hideo Kojima, the Death Stranding creator and recognised video game genius, who happens to be one of Reedus’s mates.

Reedus’s New Obsession: Chainsaw Man

According to Reedus, all credit (or blame) for this new obsession goes to Kojima. In his own words:

'There’s Chainsaw Man, which Hideo Kojima told me about. He said it was his favourite and I went around Tokyo looking for the comic book because I have a production company. I was looking for cool things to make.'

He also mentioned, 'I got a lot of street cred for knowing Chainsaw Man. And I just recently was in Japan and I saw it on the aeroplane for the first time, so I thought that was a pretty cool one.' That’s the sort of name-dropping energy you get from a celebrity who’s wandered into a hobby shop, hoping not to look like an undercover dad. Reckon I got distinctly Chris Pratt-talking-about-Mario vibes here: it’s charming, if a touch manufactured.

So What’s He Plotting?

Reedus didn’t outright confirm he’s turning Chainsaw Man into a live-action series or film—but he didn’t exactly deny it either. He’s in the market for ‘cool things to make’ with his production company, and let’s be honest, if you’re hunting for your next big adaptation and Kojima points you at Chainsaw Man, you’d at least stick it on your mood board. Whether this is just idle celebrity chat or something more concrete is anyone’s guess at this stage.

Anime Powers: Reedus Fancies Blowing Things Up

When quizzed by GQ about what anime power he’d want for himself, Reedus picked out a character from Chainsaw Man—albeit a bit hazily, as he couldn’t quite remember the name. He said, 'In Chainsaw Man, there was one character—I want to say it was called like, "Love Bomb," or "Bomb Girl," or something like that—and she was probably the coolest one there. So I’d be able to just blow things up with my mind. I’m very destructive.'

He’s clearly talking about Reze, from the Reze Arc of Chainsaw Man—the “Bomb Girl” whose actual title is Bomb Devil Hybrid. Definitely one of the standout characters in the series, with the convenient ability to trigger just about any explosion imaginable by barely lifting a finger. If Reedus does make his live-action version, Reze could steal the show. Whether or not the world actually needs this is a separate debate.

Chainsaw Man 101 (If You’ve Been Living Under a Rock)

• Main character: Denji—a down-and-out lad who becomes a “Devil Hunter” after his life goes completely off the rails.
• What makes it special: Ridiculous violence, bonkers premise, perpetual energy, plus plenty of heartbreak and mayhem. Basically everything you want from a proper action anime.
• Live-action prospects: Chainsaw Man is so popular it feels like only a matter of time before someone takes a punt on a live-action adaptation, regardless of whether it actually needs it.

Does This Mean Reedus Is Definitely Making It?

At the moment, it’s all a bit speculative. Reedus clearly likes the idea, he’s said it out loud, and he’s got a production company hunting for new projects. Will that add up to a proper live-action Chainsaw Man sometime soon? You’ll have to wait and see.