This Kingdom Hearts Rumor Has Fans Stirring

According to a new rumor, the next high profile live action video game adaptation may be one we never expected. A source close to We Got This Covered claims that none other than Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series may soon be adapted to series by Disney+.

We Got This Covered does not name the source of this rumor, so it's worth taking this report with a grain of salt. However, it's encouraging to note that WGTC claims this source has previously given the site correct intel regarding Disney properties. This same source also told WGTC that Disney was prepping a remake of Robin Hood and a TV series starring Marvel character She-Hulk, both of which turned out to be true. In other words, this rumor apparently holds a little more weight than most.

Kingdom Hearts may prove to be a difficult property to adapt. As popular as the series is, it is also somewhat infamous for its wildly complex storyline that has played out over the course of multiple main games, spinoffs, and manga. It's also a very creepy series at some points, which makes one wonder if Disney+ may try to tone down some of the content for a younger television audience. After all, seeing someone set themselves on fire probably hits different in live action when compared to a stylized video game.

So it's unclear how faithful a TV series would be to the original games. It's also worth wondering whether or not Disney+ would bother featuring Final Fantasy characters in their adaptation. It could prove to be less expensive for the streaming service to stick with licensed properties that Disney already owns, like many of the animated worlds featured in the game series. Again, though, that begs the question of why Disney+ would choose to adapt Kingdom Hearts to live action.

Previous attempts at bringing Disney characters into live action have been inconsistent at best. While 2016's The Jungle Book was a critical and commercial success, people were a little more divided on The Lion King and decidedly lukewarm toward Aladdin. It's also worth noting that, Sonic the Hedgehog aside, video game adaptations aren't always a guaranteed slam dunk.

Reactions from fans to this rumor have been mixed, to say the least. While pretty much everyone seems to agree that the source material has so much potential, many people seem to think that there's too much of a risk of the studio dropping the ball with it.

The majority of the complaints seen on Twitter seem to be from people confused over Disney's apparent decision to take the live action route, as opposed to animation. As podcaster Jeff Ruberg tweeted, "nothing says 'kingdom hearts' like..... *checks notes* live action?"

"Why live action?" tweeted one fan. "Please Disney ... if these rumors are true I request as for many faithful Kingdom Hearts fans that you reconsider and do Animation. The beauty behind Kingdom Hearts was it's [sic] animation. You cannot capture that same magic with Live Action."

Another fan made fun of the sprawling nature of Kingdom Hearts' many tie-ins and spin-offs, writing, "Look, I'll play a [expletive] card game to understand KH2. I'll play PSP, 3DS, and a mobile game to understand KH3. But I'm not about to watch Zac Efron in a party city wig running around as Sora to understand KH4."

Then again, some people seem to think that the show could make it worth their while to subscribe to a new streaming service. One fan was intrigued by the rumor, tweeting, "If this turns out to be true, I think I'll consider getting disney plus."

Still, even folks who are concerned about the series may have a hard time disagreeing with the fact that Disney+ came out of the gate rather strong with a slate of original programming. This includes shows like The Mandalorian, which is set in the Star Wars universe. That show has taken on a whole new life online thanks to its breakout character, the Child (a.k.a. Baby Yoda). The streaming service has also seen critical praise and success with audiences thanks to original programming like The World According to Jeff Goldblum. 

Other shows in the works for the series include a full lineup of Marvel Studios spinoffs, such as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. A new adaptation of the Percy Jackson novels was recently announced for the service as well. It's clear that Disney+ is going all-in with fantasy and action programming for its original series. An adaptation of a property already full of Disney characters like Kingdom Hearts seems like a perfect fit for the service.