{"rewrite":{"id":"r_81ec01fa435a9647f8f1726f","clusterId":"c_009219cace9f330e18e1e6b9","slug":"netflix-and-sega-line-up-three-game-adaptations","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Netflix and Sega Plan Live-Action Crazy Taxi Film and Sonic Kids Anime","summary":"Netflix and Sega announced a partnership on September 15 to adapt Sega game properties into film and television. Three projects are in production. A live-action comedy film based on Crazy Taxi is the first, with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand writing the script. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher, who produced the Sonic the Hedgehog films, produce with Sega's Toru Nakahara. A new animated Sonic the Hedgehog children's series is aimed at upper preschoolers, with Carlos Stevens and Nakahara producing. A live-action crime film based on Stranger Than Heaven, the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio game set in early 20th-century Japan, is also in development, with Nakahara producing. Genres span live-action comedy, kids anime, and live-action crime action. No distribution dates were announced.","whyItMatters":"Sega's Sonic movie success gave it leverage to sell Netflix three adaptations at once across different genres, and Netflix is taking on a game that has not shipped a mainline entry in over a decade alongside one that has not released yet.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSega Representative Director and COO Shuji Utsumi said the company has long respected Netflix\u0026#39;s work across formats and the care it brings to each project, and that the same passion will go into Sonic, Crazy Taxi, and Stranger Than Heaven. Nakahara described the intended tones: Sonic and friends as cute but cool heroes, Crazy Taxi as a wild high-speed action comedy full of witty jokes, and Stranger Than Heaven as sharp action with heart-pounding drama.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNetflix\u0026#39;s Brandon Riegg, Vice President of Nonfiction and Transmedia, said the three titles come from different eras of Sega\u0026#39;s catalog and that Netflix will keep the appeal fans know while reaching new audiences. Moritz and Ascher, of Original Film, said the Crazy Taxi film is aimed at fans who drove the yellow taxi on the Dreamcast.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGame Spark noted that Netflix has previously streamed game adaptations including Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. Crazy Taxi: World Tour, a new entry in the racing series, is set for 2027, and Stranger Than Heaven is scheduled for release on January 15. Announced platforms for Stranger Than Heaven are Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. Crazy Taxi: World Tour is listed for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrazy Taxi live-action comedy film\u003c/strong\u003e: Script by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand; produced by Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSonic the Hedgehog animated children\u0026#39;s series\u003c/strong\u003e: Aimed at upper preschoolers; Carlos Stevens and Nakahara produce\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStranger Than Heaven live-action crime film\u003c/strong\u003e: Based on the Ryu ga Gotoku Studio game set in early 20th-century Japan; Nakahara produces\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e","blueskyPost":"Crazy Taxi's film is a live-action comedy, and Sega's three pickups split across comedy, preschool animation, and period crime. The Sonic the Hedgehog films' producers are running the game-to-screen pipeline.","twitterPost":"Crazy Taxi's film is a live-action comedy. Sega's slate splits across comedy, preschool animation, and period crime.","threadsPost":"Crazy Taxi's adaptation is a live-action comedy, while Stranger Than Heaven becomes a live-action crime film and Sonic the Hedgehog gets a preschool series. Sega's three pickups do not share a genre, so Netflix is buying range, not a single franchise lane.","newsletterBlurb":"Netflix and Sega are partnering on three adaptations: a live-action Crazy Taxi comedy, a Sonic animated series for preschoolers, and a live-action Stranger Than Heaven crime film. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand write the Crazy Taxi script, with Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara producing. No release dates have been set.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-14/netflix-sega-to-produce-live-action-films-for-crazy-taxi-stranger-than-heaven-games-new-animated-/.241778\",\"title\":\"Netflix, Sega to Produce Live-Action Films for Crazy Taxi, Stranger Than Heaven Games; New Animated Children's Series for Sonic the Hedgehog\"},{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2140892.html\",\"title\":\"Crazy Taxi Gets Live-Action Adaptation! Sega and Netflix Announce Partnership\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260915e\",\"title\":\"Sonic, Crazy Taxi, and Stranger Than Heaven Adaptations Announced; Netflix and Sega Form New Partnership\"},{\"source\":\"ASCII.jp\",\"url\":\"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/434/4434747/?rss\",\"title\":\"Crazy Taxi Gets Surprise Live-Action Film Adaptation; Netflix and Sega to Adapt Multiple Games\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/15/172271.html\",\"title\":\"'Crazy Taxi' Live-Action Film Adaptation Confirmed! Netflix and Sega Announce New Partnership - 'Sonic' and 'STRANGER THAN HEAVEN' Projects Also in Progress\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":8844,"outputTokens":1425,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1789410564,"createdAt":"2026-09-14T18:23:28.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-14T18:28:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-15T02:39:14.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_009219cace9f330e18e1e6b9","canonicalTitle":"News\nNetflix, Sega to Produce Live-Action Films for Crazy Taxi, Stranger Than Heaven Games; New Animated Children's Series for Sonic the Hedgehog","representativeArticleId":"a_75a87b3f6c05c22ace21d30c","sourceCount":7,"writtenSourceCount":5,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Crazy Taxi\",\"Stranger Than Heaven\",\"Sonic the Hedgehog\"],\"studios\":[\"Netflix\",\"Sega\"],\"people\":[\"Dan Gregor\",\"Doug Mand\"],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-14T16:53:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-15T03:21:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-15T03:39:00.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-14/netflix-sega-to-produce-live-action-films-for-crazy-taxi-stranger-than-heaven-games-new-animated-/.241778","title":"News\nNetflix, Sega to Produce Live-Action Films for Crazy Taxi, Stranger Than Heaven Games; New Animated Children's Series for Sonic the Hedgehog"},{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/2140892.html","title":"「クレイジータクシー」が実写化！ セガとNetflixのパートナーシップ発表"},{"source":"KAI-YOU","url":"https://kai-you.net/article/96547","title":"Netflix、ゲーム『STRANGER THAN HEAVEN』を実写映画化　セガとのタッグで複数作品を映像化"},{"source":"ASCII.jp","url":"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/434/4434747/?rss","title":"「クレイジータクシー」まさかの実写映画化　Netflixとセガが複数ゲームを映像化"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260915e","title":"『ソニック』『クレイジータクシー』『ストレンジャー ザン ヘヴン』3作品の映像化が発表。Netflixとセガが新たな提携を結ぶ"},{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/09/15/28050.html","title":"『クレイジータクシー』実写映画化決定！Netflixとセガが新たな提携発表―『ソニック』や『STRANGER THAN HEAVEN』の企画も進行中"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/09/15/172271.html","title":"『クレイジータクシー』実写映画化決定！Netflixとセガが新たな提携発表―『ソニック』や『STRANGER THAN HEAVEN』の企画も進行中"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Crazy Taxi","Stranger Than Heaven","Sonic the Hedgehog"],"studios":["Netflix","Sega"],"people":["Dan Gregor","Doug Mand"],"type":"announcement","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Netflix and Sega announced a partnership on September 15 to adapt Sega game properties for film and television.","Crazy Taxi is getting a live-action comedy film written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, with Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Sega's Toru Nakahara producing.","A new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series aimed at upper preschoolers is in production with Carlos Stevens and Toru Nakahara as producers.","A live-action crime film based on Stranger Than Heaven is in development with Toru Nakahara producing.","Crazy Taxi: World Tour is scheduled for release in 2027."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["crazy-taxi","stranger-than-heaven","sonic-the-hedgehog","netflix","sega","dan-gregor","doug-mand"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"crazy-taxi","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":6,"overall":"unverified","story_count":2,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"stranger-than-heaven","supported":10,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":32,"overall":"green","story_count":28,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"sonic-the-hedgehog","supported":5,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":25,"overall":"green","story_count":26,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"netflix","supported":6,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":14,"overall":"green","story_count":23,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"sega","supported":12,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":88,"overall":"green","story_count":189,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"dan-gregor","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":1,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false},{"slug":"doug-mand","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":1,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}