Lollipop Chainsaw Is Getting an R-Rated Live-Action Prequel Movie

Dragami Games has licensed a live-action Lollipop Chainsaw movie, announced during the Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back stage show at Tokyo Game Show 2026. It’s described as an R-rated action comedy set as a prequel to the 2012 game — no director, cast, release date or distributor has been announced yet, and this is a separate project from both the Back2Back game sequel and Lollipop Chainsaw’s previously announced animated series.

What Was Actually Announced

Dragami Games has licensed the film to an international production team rather than producing it in-house. The team includes Joe Teng of Nada Holdings, Robert Franke — former ZDF Studios drama executive, now running his own company Orange Chariot — Takafumi Yuki, managing director of Throne Inc, Kirk Shaw of Ambitious Entertainment, and Patricio Rabuffetti of Non Stop TV.

Franke described the goal directly: “We are making a film that feels unmistakably true to the spirit of Lollipop Chainsaw while standing completely on its own.” Dragami Games president Shohei Sato has said the film is aimed at entertaining both people who’ve played the game and audiences discovering the franchise for the first time.

Prequel, R-Rated, Action Comedy — What That Actually Means Right Now

The film is described as an R-rated action comedy set before the events of the original 2012 game — a prequel, not a retelling of that game’s story. The reported synopsis follows Juliet Starling, a cheerleader at San Romero High School who comes from a family of zombie hunters, fighting through a zombie outbreak that consumes her school to save her friends and protect her family, with her boyfriend Nick also part of the story.

That’s the extent of what’s confirmed. No director has been named, no cast has been announced, there’s no release date or window, and no distributor has been attached. Treat any of those specifics circulating elsewhere as unconfirmed until Dragami or the production team says otherwise.

Three Separate Lollipop Chainsaw Projects Right Now

Tokyo Game Show 2026 turned into a genuine franchise relaunch for Lollipop Chainsaw, and it’s worth being precise about what’s actually three distinct projects:

The live-action film — what this article covers. Licensed by Dragami Games to the production team above, R-rated, a prequel to the original game, with no other specifics confirmed.

Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back — a new PS5 sequel game from developer JP Universe, publishing via Dragami Games and Nada Holdings, set for a 2027 release. It’s a continuation of the game series, sending Juliet to a transformed version of San Romero called Jaredwood, and it’s where the live-action film was actually announced (during that game’s TGS stage show) — but it’s a different project entirely, not connected in story to the film.

A separate animated series — also part of the same Tokyo Game Show announcements, launching alongside Back2Back. Dragami and Nada haven’t detailed how the animated project relates to either the game sequel or the live-action film beyond all three emerging from the same franchise push.

Don’t conflate these. A detail confirmed for one — Juliet’s redesigned outfit in Back2Back, for instance — isn’t automatically true of the film, and vice versa.

What About James Gunn and Suda51?

Neither is confirmed as involved in the live-action film. James Gunn wrote the original 2012 game’s screenplay, and Goichi “Suda51” Suda directed it through Grasshopper Manufacture — that’s their verified historical relationship to Lollipop Chainsaw, not evidence of any role on this new movie. Some coverage of the announcement has led with Gunn’s name specifically because of that history, which can read as implying his involvement — nothing in Dragami’s own announcement or the confirmed production team names him or Suda51 in connection with the film.

What We Still Don’t Know

Casting, a director, a release timeline, distribution, and how explicitly the film’s prequel story will tie into Juliet’s family of zombie hunters beyond the reported synopsis are all unannounced. Whether the film will use practical effects, how faithfully it adapts the original game’s tone versus reinventing it, and any connection to Warner Bros. or another studio for distribution also haven’t been addressed — no distributor has been confirmed, and any claim otherwise should be treated as unsourced.

For everything currently confirmed about the game side of the franchise’s relaunch, see our Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back breakdown, covering the first gameplay footage, Jaredwood setting and confirmed 2027 PS5 release window.