I don’t want another Netflix adaptation—I want Mega Man Legends 3

Netflix seems to be on a mission of late. The streaming brand has been on a near-rampage, sourcing Japanese content with nostalgic appeal and turning it into live-action content with the "Netflix original" stamp. There's always trepidation when hearing about an adaptation of an old favorite, but the latest Netflix adaptation I heard about stings more than usual. Not because I'm outraged by casting choices, character omissions, or use of heartless CGI—we haven't gotten that far yet. It's because I've been waiting for a different addition to the Mega Man franchise for nearly (gulp) 22 years. When I hear the phrase "new Mega Man," I presume it's going to be the announcement of a new video game, and deep down, I always hope that announcement is Mega Man Legends 3. Decades later, I and many other fans are still holding out for a follow-up to the two PlayStation games (they were eventually ported to a few other platforms, including Windows) that challenged, entertained, and mesmerized me starting in 1998. Since Mega Man Legends 2 came out in 2000, Capcom has offered me small return trips to the Mega Man universe, including 2001's Mega Man Battle Network series and 2018's Mega Man 11. But none continued—or, better yet, completed—the detailed, mysterious story of the Legends games, whose lore is loaded with themes of myriad familial bonds, independence, ingenuity, and coming of age. From busting massive balloons in mini-games to the unforgettable underwater ruins whose puzzles and confusing tunnels remain one of the most challenging virtual experiences of my life, the Legends games were genuinely fun to play. By introducing 3D into the franchise, they were fun to watch, too. So much so that I also watched everyone in my household beat them. But it's not just that I want to play more Mega Man Legends (though I do). It's not just that I want to know what a 2020s-era Legends would even look like (though I don't doubt it would try some fun new visual tricks in 4K resolution). What I'm more hungry for is a conclusion to the story and closure for Mega Man Volnutt, who was slowly learning of his origins throughout the first two games. I'm still curious about where he came from, what he actually is, and if he'll ever get the full memories of Mega Man Trigger back. I wonder how the relationships, like Mega Man and Roll's or even their allies in the Bonne family, might develop under these revelations.

And, most importantly—does Mega Man ever make it off Elysium, and what adventures might he encounter before then? There's a whole new story left to tell with pieces already in place. Yet what we're apparently getting instead is a live-action film that's likely to rehash the much less interesting backstory from the main Mega Man series.

The Mega Man movie, reportedly presented by Netflix

This week, IGN reported that Netflix's Mega Man movie was confirmed by production company Supermarché (Project Power) and the site's anonymous sources. There's no word from Netflix, but the production company's website says Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are writing and directing the adaptation. Their most familiar works are Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3 and 4. As reported by The Verge, there's been talk of a Mega Man move since 2015, and in 2018, Capcom said the movie would be live-action. What we learned about this week was Netflix's purported connection. Sites, including IGN and Mega Man fansite Rockman Corner, reported that the Supermarché webpage originally said Joost and Schulman are working on "an adaptation of Capcom's Mega Man for Chernin Entertainment and Netflix," but as of writing, the page no longer names Netflix. The Verge noted, however, that Netflix has a first-look deal with Chernin, so the idea is very plausible.

It's unclear what the movie is about, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the more traditional Mega Man with the round, widow-peaked helmet rather than any connection to the Legends games.

What happened to Mega Man Legends 3?

For a while, there was tangible hope that the Legends games would get a follow-up. In 2010, Capcom announced Mega Man Legends 3 was coming to Nintendo 3DS and even shared very early build footage.

Capcom even asked fans to contribute to the game by submitting and voting for ideas in its Devroom forum. But things a took a turn later that year when producer Keiji Inafune, who also produced Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Legends 2, left Capcom to work on Mighty No. 9. He later offered to make the game under contract, but Capcom said there was no need, Kotaku reported at the time. Capcom would later deny Mega Man Legends 3's cancellation had anything to do with Inafune's departure.

Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version

Still, the project seemed to be moving swimmingly with the 2011 announcement of Mega Man Legends 3 Prototype Version. Available at the 3DS eShop, it was going to be a prologue to the true Mega Man Legends 3, with 10 playable missions.

But despite releasing some gameplay footage, Capcom announced that same year that it was no longer making Mega Man Legends 3 and wouldn't even release the prototype game. There's some comfort in Capcom actually admitting that it had canceled the project, but the blog post didn't provide detailed reasoning as to why:

From the outset the MML3 Project was intended to give gamers across the world insight and input into the development process. Part of this process includes an assessment of whether the title will go into full production and is based on a number of criteria with input from different sectors of the company. Unfortunately, it was not felt that the Mega Man Legends 3 Project met the required criteria, and it is with regret that we must announce that the Mega Man Legends 3 Project has been cancelled... On behalf of the entire Legends team, please accept our sincere apology for failing to meet the expectations of the fans.

Killed by a marketing tool?

Later, Capcom UK's Twitter account claimed, "Unfortunately so few fans took part in the creation of the game. It was felt the project was not worthwhile. :-(." The account added, "It's a shame the fans didn't want to get more involved :-( if we saw there was an audience for MML3 people might change minds." That same Twitter account reportedly claimed later that the tweets were about disappointment with the Devroom as a Capcom marketing tool rather than the fans (the tweet is no longer available). But according to the 25-minute YouTube video "Mega Man Legends 3 Documentary" by Get Me Off The Moon, the dev team reached its goal of 10,000 members a month ahead of its deadline. As expected from a PR blunder, Capcom eventually removed the person who sent the tweet from social media and said it's not fans' fault. But the possibility still exists that the game was canceled because whatever the big wigs wanted to see from the Devroom didn't happen.

Upon Prototype Version's announcement, game director Masakazu Eguchi wrote in a blog that the future of Mega Man Legends 3 depended on how Prototype Version fared: "the heat and excitement surrounding this downloadable title would determine whether or not the full game could be greenlit. If hype is strong, the full title will be a go. If not, it's a no-go." That was Eguchi's last blog post on the site, but ultimately, there's no concrete evidence for a specific reason Capcom canceled Mega Man Legends 3. Following Capcom's cancellation, many in the industry publicly expressed interest in helping to develop the game, including CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyam, Inafune, and Facebook (via 100,000 likes). Later, in 2014, Inafune told USgamer that he'd still make the game if asked, despite not working for Capcom anymore. But none of this was enough to bring the game into fruition. The last notable mention of a true Mega Man Legends 3 I could find was a 2020 tweet from the games' composer around the idea of crowdfunding the game. As of writing, the tweet had 5,566 likes, but composer Makoto Tomozawa made no claims about getting the game off the ground. I've heard about some fan games in the works, but there's nothing like some true canon.

What if the Mega Man movie is actually good?

It's way too early to write off Mega Man movie—heck, Netflix hasn't even said anything about it yet. But my expectations are low. Video game-based live-action movies rarely impress me. The recent Mortal Kombat, Dynasty Warriors and, oddly, the fifth Resident Evil are exceptions. Misfires I've seen include almost every other movie from the original Resident Evil film series, Halo: Nightfall, (which hardly seemed related to the games after a certain point), and Rampage (save for the epic surprise attack from a CGI Ralph the Wolf). I'm not saying a live-action film adaptation movie of a video game can't be good; I just haven't seen many. More worrying is that Netflix-branded content based on Japanese media has disappointed me. The 2017 Death Note movie, for example, failed to capture the complex dialogue, plot twists, and character development of the 12-volume manga or 37-episode anime. Then there's Cowboy Bebop. Netflix canceled its live-action Cowboy Bebop series less than a month after the show's debut and piles of fanfare. It's hard to be confident in Netflix's commitment to its adapted source material after that, even if the company insists on making more episodes of The Witcher.

Last hope

As you can see, a long time has passed since there was good reason to think Mega Man Legends 3 will ever exist. But the exact thing I've been complaining about actually gives me one last, tiny glint of hope. Currently, we have no idea what direction the Mega Man movie will take. That means it could incorporate elements from the Legends games. I won't be so naïve as to get my hopes up for a film completely dedicated to the Legends series, especially when there are other paths to take. But until I hear otherwise, the possibility still exists. Regardless, a new adaptation should get people talking about Mega Man, especially if it's on Netflix. And that's only a few steps away from people thinking about Mega Man Legends 3 again, right? I know I'm fooling myself, but keeping the Mega Man franchise alive is all I can hope for at this point. That, and for Inafune to work some magic, maybe with the help of another Japanese favorite. Here's how the exec put it in 2014:

Let's say that if we have all seven Dragon Balls right here, right now, and Shen Long comes up and says, "What's your wish?" My wish would be, give me all the right tools, people, and environment to create Legends 3.

Here's to hoping that the upcoming film somehow drums up interest in this aging would-be game. Perhaps the rights gods could gather those Dragon Balls for Inafune and the rest of us Mega Man fans (and make sure everyone stays away from another live-action Dragon Ball adaptation while they're at it).