Video game adaptations are all the rage right now, and it sounds like Disney and Square Enix may be looking to explore the possibilities of the very popular Kingdom Hearts franchise.
Reliable insider DanielRPK -- who previously suggested a sequel to Sonic Frontiers was in development (which was corroborated by another source -- now claims that Disney is working on an adaptation of Kingdom Hearts. Details are gated behind their Patreon, but it's unclear if it will be a movie or a television series, though.
Rumors of a Kingdom Hearts adaptation actually date back to 2020 when Vulcan Reporter's Emre Kaya suggested that a CG-animated series was being developed for DIsney+. It was reported that Square Enix was asked to make a pilot using Unreal Engine.
Kingdom Hearts is a long-running action role-playing series developed by Square Enix under the direction of Japanese game designers Tetsuya Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto. The series is best known for its crossovers, featuring a mixture of beloved, well-known Disney and Square Enix characters as well as original characters designed and created by Nomura.
You play mostly as Sora throughout the series, visiting worlds inspired by Disney films as well as original locations. Players interact with and battle alongside various Disney characters, sometimes even taking on iconic Disney villains, in an attempt to save the world from the invading Darkness.
With 13 games in the franchise, the story of Kingdom Hearts has become a bit convoluted. The first phase of the Kingdom Hearts series is known as the "Dark Seeker Saga," or the "Xehanort Saga," and details the conflict between Sora and Xehanort.
The long-running Dark Seeker Saga came to an end with 2019's Kingdom Hearts 3, although Square Enix has already revealed a new Kingdom Hearts game is in development. Kingdom Hearts 4, the newest installment in the beloved RPG series, was announced back in 2022 as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
While we don't know much about the new game, Square Enix did confirm that Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy will embark on a brand new adventure, titled the "Lost Master Arc." There's still no release date yet for Kingdom Hearts 4.
With over 36 million copies shipped worldwide, the Kingdom Hearts series is one of the most popular video game franchises. In addition to the games, the series has spread to action figures, companion books, light novels, a collectible card game, and a manga series. But we still don't have a proper television series adaptation or movie... yet.
Do you want to see the Kingdom Hearts games adapted into a movie a series? Let us know in the comments!