Scott Pilgrim Creator Says It Wasn’t Easy to Get Original Cast Back for Anime: ‘It Just Takes Time’

Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the beloved Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series that’s now being adapted into a Netflix anime, revealed several new details about the development of the recently announced project in a Twitch stream today. 

When Netflix and Universal (which is producing the series and owns the film/TV rights) revealed the anime earlier this week, they also announced that the cast from the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – including Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, and Brie Larson – would be returning for voice roles. But despite the fact that everyone was eager to return, O’Malley revealed that typical Hollywood barriers made the wrangling of the cast a little more difficult.

“Literally day one, everyone said yes,” he said during the stream. “But then it was just months of making sure it was okay with the adults in the room, basically. We all wanted to do it, and everyone just has lawyers and agents… It just takes time.”

He added that the only reason they were even able to announce the series was because “everyone has recorded” for the most part.

Speaking of where the anime is in development, fans shouldn’t expect a trailer anytime soon. While much of the English voice work has been done (O’Malley said he expects it to be dubbed in several languages), he said they’re “not that far along” when it comes to the visuals. He thinks a trailer could possibly drop in the late summer.

The series will not be called Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, he said, but they haven’t revealed the official title yet.

O’Malley did clarify that he’ll have heavy creative involvement on the series, as Netflix previously announced that he’s an executive producer. One person who won’t, however, is Inu-Oh director Masaaki Yuasa, even though the studio he established, Science SARU, will be behind the animation, O’Malley said.

He also spoke a bit about the music, a particularly beloved part of the 2010 film. Beck wrote several songs for the movie’s fictional band, Sex Bob-Omb, but O’Malley revealed that the musician won’t be back for the Netflix series. 

“When we started the show, we didn’t really know what the budget would be. And kind of the priority for me was getting Anamanaguchi to do it, because I knew they could do kind of everything, similar to what Beck did for the movie. He can also do anything,” he said, referencing the band who worked on the music for video game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. “So, you know, we didn’t think we could afford him, essentially. And maybe in retrospect we could’ve gotten him, but I unfortunately did not reach out.”

A release date for the upcoming Scott Pilgrim series has not yet been announced.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.