Viz Media and Gotham Group Strike Film and TV Deal for RWBY and Viz Originals
Viz Media, one of the leading names in the animation and manga world, has signed a comprehensive development agreement with Hollywood production company Gotham Group. According to Anime News Network's report dated August 7, 2026, the agreement focuses on film and television adaptations of Viz Media's original graphic novel series Viz Originals and the RWBY universe that began in 2013. This move is seen as part of Viz Media's strategy to transform not only into a manga publisher but into a studio that opens its own intellectual properties to different media.
Viz Media is one of the first distribution companies that come to mind when manga is mentioned in North America. Owned in partnership with Japanese publishing giants like Shueisha and Shogakukan, the company brings major series such as Naruto, One Piece, and Dragon Ball to English-speaking readers. Viz Originals, on the other hand, is an area where the publisher develops its own original graphic novel projects beyond translated manga. The collaboration with Gotham Group is a concrete step taken to bring these original projects to life in film and television formats.
RWBY, on the other hand, was launched online by Rooster Teeth in 2013 under the leadership of late creator Monty Oum. The series, which quickly gained a global fan base with its anime-inspired visuals and fast action choreography, has spawned nine seasons as well as spin-offs such as manga and video games. After Rooster Teeth shut down in 2024, Viz Media took over the rights to RWBY. Thus, the series remains positioned as one of Viz Media's most well-known original intellectual properties.
Gotham Group is an experienced production and representation company in Hollywood that represents writers and storytellers and works on literary adaptations. It has not yet been clarified which Viz Originals titles are included in the scope of the agreement and whether RWBY will be adapted as live-action or animation. However, Viz forming such a Hollywood partnership demonstrates its desire to place its original properties at the center of the entertainment industry in the long term.
It is eagerly awaited which writers, directors, and producers will join the projects in the coming period. The vast universe of RWBY and the pool of Viz Originals comics offer a rich diversity of content that may attract the attention of studios. What is exciting for fans is that this collaboration could build new bridges between manga, anime, and Hollywood adaptations.
