Scott Pilgrim creator initially turned down Netflix's offer to turn the graphic novels into an anime series
Nov. 1, 2023EXCLUSIVE: Bryan Lee O’Malley and Scott Takes Off co-showrunner BenDavid Grabinski teamed up for the series after one fateful get-together
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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a new anime series based on – you guessed it – the graphic novels centered on the same titular bassist, is set to land on Netflix in a matter of weeks. When the streamer first approached creator Bryan Lee O’Malley about the show, though, he turned ‘em down.
“I was like ‘Hell no!'”, the author tellsSFX magazinein the new issue, which features David Tennant as Doctor Who on the cover. Fortunately, however, his long-time pal-turned-co-showrunner BenDavid Grabinski inadvertently persuaded him to change his mind when O’Malley mentioned the proposal during a random get-together.
“Almost everything I mentioned over that dinner is in the show,” Grabinski admits. “There are a lot of twists and turns, and most of them came together extremely quickly, just in that conversation.
“That was not a meeting with the goal of doing a show, but Bryan went back to Netflix and said, ‘Hey, I know what the show wants to be, and I know who I want to do it with.’ And now, years later, we have a show.”
“That dinner will become legend among certain fans,” O’Malley adds with a smile.
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The movie’s voice cast, including Brie Larson, Chris Evans, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Michael Cera reprise their roles in the 2D Netflix outing. Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Mark Webber, Satya Bhabha,Brandon Routh, Mae Whitman, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Alison Pill, Johnny Simmons, and Kieran Culkin do, too.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off releases on Netflix on November 17. The above is just a snippet from our interview with O’Malley and Grabinski inthe latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features Doctor Who on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, November 1. Keep up to date with all things SFX by signing up to thenewsletter, which sends all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.
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