VIZ Media has entered a strategic partnership with The Gotham Group to develop film and television projects based on its original intellectual property, led by the “RWBY” franchise and the VIZ Originals graphic novel imprint, the companies announced Aug. 6 in a release provided to AnimeTV.
Under the agreement, The Gotham Group will identify properties and package potential projects from VIZ Media’s catalog. The announcement did not name specific adaptations, attach creative talent or provide a development timeline. It also did not indicate whether a future “RWBY” project would use animation or live action.
The deal offers the clearest indication yet of how VIZ intends to expand “RWBY” beyond its existing animated series after acquiring the franchise in July 2024. It also extends the publisher’s entertainment business into projects based on properties it controls for screen development.
The partnership does not include the Japanese series VIZ licenses for North American publishing, such as “One Piece,” “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” “Naruto” and “Jujutsu Kaisen.”
“From the beginning, our vision for RWBY has been to build a global franchise that connects with fans across every medium,” VIZ Media President and CEO Brad Woods said in a statement.
The announcement follows VIZ’s confirmation at Anime Expo 2026 that “RWBY” Volume 10 had officially entered production. Showrunner and co-creator Kerry Shawcross is returning to lead the continuation. VIZ has not announced a release date.
Volume 9 concluded in April 2023, leaving the series’ future uncertain through the March 2024 shutdown of Rooster Teeth’s original operation and VIZ’s acquisition four months later.
Created in 2013 by the late animator and writer Monty Oum, “RWBY” follows Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. The four young Huntresses train to defend the world of Remnant from creatures known as Grimm.
The franchise has accumulated more than 350 million views worldwide, according to VIZ. It has also expanded into publishing, video games, consumer products and spinoffs, including “RWBY Chibi,” Shaft’s “RWBY: Ice Queendom” and two “Justice League x RWBY” crossover films with DC.
Rooster Teeth produced 117 episodes across nine volumes. Warner Bros. Discovery shut down the Austin-based entertainment company in 2024 after 21 years, citing changes in consumer behavior and the economics of digital media. Rooster Teeth co-founder Burnie Burns later reacquired the company brand and some of its assets through Box Canyon Productions, but “RWBY” remained under VIZ.
VIZ’s 2024 acquisition included rights to future production, distribution, licensing and consumer products for the franchise.
The Gotham Group is a Los Angeles-based production and management company with a record of adapting young-adult and family properties. Its credits include the Emmy-nominated “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation’s “The Search for WondLa,” Hulu’s “Washington Black,” the “Maze Runner” films, Disney+’s “Stargirl” projects and Netflix’s “Wendell & Wild.” The company also worked on the Bruce Springsteen biographical film “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.“
“We are thrilled to be working with the iconic VIZ on RWBY and beyond,” Gotham Group founder and CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein said in a statement. She credited VIZ with helping bring manga and anime to U.S. audiences and said Gotham was eager to develop new stories from the franchise.
The agreement also covers VIZ Originals, the publisher’s line of manga-inspired graphic novels from Western and international creators. Its catalog includes “Devil’s Candy” by Rem and Bikkuri, “Lynx” by Sam Sattin, Acky Bright’s “GalaXic Baseball League” and the manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell’s novel “Fangirl.”
VIZ Originals could provide Gotham with a broader development pipeline than “RWBY” alone. Unlike the Japanese manga titles VIZ licenses for English-language publication, the properties covered by the partnership give the publisher a more direct role in determining how and where adaptations move forward.
The agreement does not guarantee that any project will reach production. Packaging partnerships are an early step in the development process, and neither company announced a studio, distributor or platform for the potential adaptations.
For “RWBY” fans, the franchise’s most immediate milestone remains Volume 10. VIZ has yet to announce when it will arrive.
————
AnimeTV チェーン bringing you the latest anime news direct from Japan ~ anytime! — Your new source of information!
