Scott Pilgrim Takes Off made some waves when it was first announced. Not only was this Netflix anime series taking Scott Pilgrim into a whole new medium, but it was also going to feature the beloved movie’s entire cast. Yes, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, and more all returned to lend their talents for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. And the series even landed some incredible guest stars like Will Forte, Finn Wolfhard, Al Yankovic, Kal Penn, and Bowen Yan, among others. Not to mention, the Scott Pilgrim anime had some totally cool animation to back it up. But alas, even though it felt like Scott Pilgrim Takes Off should have been a slam dunk of a series for Netflix, the show has officially been canceled by the studio.
Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the Scott Pilgrim comics, took to Twitter to share the news that Netflix had officially canceled Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. He revealed, “It’s been one year since Scott Pilgrim Takes Off came out. It was an honor to work with all of the cast & staff around the world. It was like conducting a symphony orchestra every day. From the moment @bdgrabinski (BenDavid Grabinski) sparked the idea, the project felt like a one-of-a-kind miracle. Anyway, we were recently informed that the show will NOT return. As you know, we only intended one season, and called in a lot of favors to make it happen, so making more would have been nearly impossible. Still, I know some of you have been holding out hope. Sorry to all Matthew fans and Gideon fans, I know you will suffer the most.”
It’s always sad when ardent fans look forward to good news about a show, and, instead, they receive word of what seems like the most common news of all these days—that the axe has fallen down on it instead. It does sound like Bryan Lee O’Malley felt unsurprised by the cancellation of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. From O’Malley’s note, it feels like the anime series’ first season was a bit of a struggle to put together. And that there hadn’t been strong plans for a second chapter of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off since its inception. But it also seems like O’Malley had some hope that more of the show might spring to life anyway, especially given fan desire. But alas, the anime series will live on as a “one-of-a-kind miracle.”
In answer to the cancellation news, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off fans responded to the post with all kinds of lovely sentiments about the series. They shared that it moved them, comforted them, inspired them to make art, and more. We feel glad Scott Pilgrim got this anime spinoff, and we can’t wait to see what the franchise will produce in the future.
