Scott Pilgrim Takes Off co-writer reveals it "would cost more than Avatar" to make this live-action

Scott Pilgrim has now become quite an iconic character, having already starred in the Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and now the upcoming anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which also features the same cast members from the original film. Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and Kieran Culkin are all among the actors returning to their respective roles in this anime retelling.

While some details about the upcoming anime series have been revealed before, series co-writer BenDavid Grabinski recently revealed some interesting details to Empire about the upcoming film. According to the co-writer, this series will feature some extraordinary action sequences, which could have cost even more than James Cameron's Avatar, which was one of the most expensive films of all time.

He said:

"There’s an extended fight sequence in Episodes 2 and 3 that, if this was a live-action movie, would cost more than Avatar. It would be so unbelievably big. And you don’t have to think that way. You’re not limited. If you made a live-action movie of the show that we did, I think it would be the most expensive movie ever, and you’d be shooting for ten years. It would be a total Hearts Of Darkness situation."

Thankfully, with the use of animation, fans will get to witness these larger-than-life action sequences without having to wait for a decade.

Grabinski also elaborated on how they proceeded with the film in the same interview.

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Grabinski reveals some of the best things in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off "was not planned at all"

Scott Pilgrim is an exciting universe that can be used in various ways to tell stories. Much like Edgar Wright's graphic depiction of the story from the comics, the upcoming anime has many elements that are its own.

Grabinski revealed that some of the most fun parts, and his favorite ones, were not planned at all. This gave shape and beauty to the sequences, making them stand out from both the Edgar Wright film and the source material.

Grabinski told Empire:

"Some of my favourite stuff in the season was not in our outlines, was not planned at all, and came way late in the process. Sometimes you’d just be like, ‘Wait, we live in a world that has vegan powers and people bursting into song. Why are we doing this f**king normal plot-point here?’ There’s just so many opportunities for your imagination to run wild."

He added:

"In the same way that Edgar was so respectful of the books, I want these all to be in conversation with each other...You can watch the movie and then go read the books, you can read the books and watch the movie, you can watch our show, then play the game, then read the books, then watch the movie. The order doesn’t really matter — they all kind of feed off each other."

So, it seems that there is plenty to watch out for in the upcoming Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which could give rise to more media content based around the universe.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off will premiere on November 17, 2023, on Netflix.