Scott Pilgrim Creator on Why He Changed the Story for the Netflix Anime

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Scott Pilgrim Creator on Why He Changed the Story for the Netflix Anime

Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the Scott Pilgrim franchise, has spoken about why he chose to change aspects of the story for the upcoming Netflix series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Why did Bryan Lee O’Malley change parts of the story of Scott Pilgrim for the Netflix show?

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, O’Malley described the process of revisiting the story and adapting it once more. The creator explained that the story of Scott Pilgrim is already known by people and was already told, so he didn’t want to rewrite it word-for-word.

“I wrote this stuff almost 20 years ago,” O’Malley stated. “I couldn’t go back and rewrite it word for word. I kept thinking, I have to tell the story of Scott Pilgrim in a world where the story of Scott Pilgrim has already been told and people know it. I had to kind of splash a new coat of paint on it and f— around with it.”

Written and illustrated by O’Malley, the Scott Pilgrim series originally ran for six graphic novels from August 2004 to July 2010. The books were previously adapted into the 2010 live-action feature film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, directed by Edgar Wright. O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski serve as the executive producers, writers, and co-showrunners of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Wright is also attached to the series as an executive producer.

What’s more, just about all the major cast members from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World reprise their respective roles for the animated Netflix series. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’s returning cast includes Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers, Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim, Brie Larson as Envy Adams, Alison Pill as Kim Pine, Aubrey Plaza as Julie Powers, Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram, Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves, Johnny Simmons as “Young” Neil Nordegraf, Mark Webber as Stephen Stills, Mae Whitman as Roxie Richter, and Ellen Wong as Knives Chau.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off features music by Anamanaguchi, which previously created the soundtrack for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. Science SARU serves as the show’s animation studio. The Tokyo-based Science SARU is perhaps best known for the hit anime series Devilman Crybaby.