Netflix is making a Crazy Taxi movie and a Sonic show with ‘edge’

Since its 1999 arcade debut, Crazy Taxi has put players behind the wheel of a fearless cabbie racing the clock through chaotic city streets — flying off ramps, dodging traffic, and chasing tips with punk-rock energy that became the series’ signature. The latest title in the franchise, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, is scheduled for release in 2027. The beloved writing duo behind the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun, Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, will bring the game’s chaotic, comedic spirit to the adaptation, with Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara, the visionary producers behind the Sonic franchise, are on board to produce.

The new animated series, currently in development with Carlos Stevens and Toru Nakahara, will present Sonic and his friends as heroes for an upper pre-school audience — a high-voltage, comedic, yet emotionally grounded series built for kids who want to feel a little edge, a little attitude, and a lot of “that’s my crew” wish fulfillment.

From RGG Studio — developer of the Like a Dragon / Yakuza series — STRANGER THAN HEAVEN takes place in early 20th-century Japan, following a foreigner who claws his way from destitute stranger to feared yakuza to entertainment tycoon. Against the backdrop of a changing nation, how will he build an empire while balancing honor and betrayal? Details are under wraps, but a live-action film will bring a new lens to this epic world and franchise.

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• Jay Peters