Disney is reportedly kicking the tires on an adaptation of its over-the-top collaboration with Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts, which could result in either a TV series or movie.
The House of Mouse is a monolith in the gaming industry right now. Major publishers are effectively emptying out their bank accounts in order to create video game adaptations of Disney IPs. PlayStation cut a blank check to make Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 a mega-hit and is set to make a habit of it, judging by the upcoming Wolverine game. Xbox is set to do the same with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as well as Marvel’s Blade. They’re far from alone, with gaming giants NetEase, Ubisoft, EA Games, and more all working on at least one game based on a major Disney property.
While Disney IPs get adapted into some of the biggest video games on the market, that edge can theoretically cut both ways. Kingdom Hearts has long stood out as one of the biggest Disney-related gaming projects but it somehow hasn’t received any sort of TV series or movie adaptation. A notable entertainment industry leaker suggests that this may be changing.
Disney reportedly working on Kingdom Hearts TV series or movie
Disney is reportedly working on an adaptation of Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts video game series.
This comes from DanielRPK, a Hollywood leaker who has accurately broken stories on films and television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Little is known beyond this and it’s unclear what form this adaptation might take, or how good its chances are of actually seeing the light of day.
Kingdom Hearts brings together a slew of Disney characters and puts them alongside major heroes and villains from the Final Fantasy video game series. The odd combination proved to be a digital peanut butter and chocolate for the PlayStation 2, with the series enduring to this day with both a mainline sequel and a spin-off coming down the pipeline. Though the series has been praised for its gameplay, its story has become wildly bloated with time and the clashing styles have provided many unintentional laughs.
The series would still lend itself well to an animated adaptation. Disney knows it too, even if it hasn’t committed in 22 years.
Kingdom Hearts almost received an animated series
This isn’t the first time Disney has attempted to make an animated Kingdom Hearts series or movie.
In 2003, a pilot animatic for a Kingdom Hearts animated series was created to test out. It was leaked online by its executive producer in 2022 and while the original upload was taken down, it was swiftly re-uploaded. While the artwork is visibly rough, the leak was still met with excitement from fans.
It’s unclear if this attempt will stick, but fans wanting to see a new take on Sora, Riku, and Kairi have cause for hope.
