I think it’s fair to say that following Agent Cody Banks and The Pink Panther 2, no one was really expecting much from director Harald Zwart, but he scored a significant hit and surprising amounts of acclaim for his Karate Kid reboot, which has certainly made him more of a name to conjure with.
Now The Wrap reports that the Norwegian filmmaker has signed up to direct Universal’s take on the strategic game and anime series, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, which features marble-like balls that transform into powerful monsters when rolled on game cards. Although Hollywood hasn’t had much luck with movies based on anime properties (just look at the disaster which was Dragonball Z), they’re hoping for more luck with this Pokemon-esque creation, in which a group of seven kids try to discover more about a secret game and fight evil.
Bakugan has become immensely popular around the world, with a second series only commissioned after it became huge in the States. It’s since spawned a successful strategy game, video games and more, and was given the 2009 Property of the Year award by the Toy Industry Association. There’s no news yet on when we might see a live action movie version.