Is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Considered Canon?
While the "Scott Pilgrim" franchise has always been a bit niche to some extent, that hasn't stopped it from having not one but two adaptations. The latest, Netflix's "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off," provides a bold new take on the graphic novel series from creator Bryan Lee O'Malley and gives the side characters a lot more to do in the process.
However, given how much it deviates from previous versions of the story, the biggest question on the minds of long-time fans might be whether it's considered canon to the other "Scott Pilgrim" stories and the original movie adaptation. Luckily, Edgar Wright, who directed "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" and helped reunite the cast for the new series, can put any doubts on the subject to rest.
"The original books and the film and the video game and the new series all have different variations of the story," Wright told The Washington Post. "But they are all canon." Some fans may not necessarily take Wright's word alone on the matter, considering it was O'Malley who wrote and illustrated the original works. However, being that O'Malley was also a co-showrunner for "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off" and participated in the same interview, it's likely safe to say that the creator holds similar sentiments.
Wright and O'Malley were blown away by the cast's enthusiasm
As for how Bryan Lee O'Malley himself reacted to the cast's agreement to return and reprise their roles, it would seem that he was pretty impressed with the eagerness that the stars of "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" had to return to reprise their roles for "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off," despite many of them having since become household names.
"The day we sent out the email to everyone asking if they would consider doing the show, we got so many responses within an hour," O'Malley recalled. "It was beautiful." Considering that this is a cast that counts Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and Brie Larson among its many stars, it was indeed no mean feat to reunite them all.
"I sound like a proud father or something, but it's true that different people blowing up or branching out in different ways is amazing to me," Edgar Wright said."I do think: What an incredible cast." Though the original film failed to meet box office expectations, fans might even be able to look forward to future stories centering on the characters, and they can probably rest assured that it'll all be canon.