‘Fans deserve this’: Sega is turning more of its games into movies with Netflix

Sega has signed a deal with Netflix for movie and animated series based on Crazy Taxi, Stranger Than Heaven, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

As reported by Variety, a feature-film adaptation of Crazy Taxi will be written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand — the writing pair behind the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun — with the producers behind the Sonic franchises on board.

Netflix and Sega also announced a new animated Sonic the Hedgehog kids’ series and a movie based on Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s upcoming action-adventure game Stranger Than Heaven.

“Great games already have what every adaptation is chasing — characters people love, worlds they know by heart, and fandoms that show up,” said Brandon Riegg, VP of nonfiction and transmedia at Netflix, in a statement.

“With ‘Crazy Taxi,’ ‘Sonic’ and ‘Stranger Than Heaven,’ we get to work across three completely different eras of Sega’s catalog, celebrating everything fans love, while introducing them to new audiences.”

Toru Nakahara, head producer at Sega, commented: “Expect something cute yet cool for ‘Sonic,’ hilariously crazy for ‘Crazy Taxi’ and a badass action drama for ‘Stranger Than Heaven,’ because we’ve got some amazing creative ideas lined up and we are just getting started. The whole team is absolutely thrilled!”

Shuji Utsumi, president and COO of Sega, added: “We’ve watched Netflix take on stories across every kind of format and treat each one with real craft, and seeing that same dedication applied to ‘Sonic,’ ‘Crazy Taxi’ and ‘Stranger Than Heaven’ is something we at Sega are incredibly proud to be a part of.

“The fandoms of these games deserve storytelling that honors what makes each title special, and we know Netflix shares that commitment. This is just the start of what these titles can become.”

In addition to the above, Sega is working on a live-action movie based on Streets of Rage and has signed deals for Comix Zone, Space Channel 5, and others.