Lollipop Chainsaw gets live-action prequel film with Juliet Starling
Dragami Games has announced a live-action Lollipop Chainsaw film. It will be a prequel starring Juliet Starling and an R-rated action comedy.
The movie is being developed as a prequel starring Juliet Starling and is set to be an R-rated action comedy.
Dragami Games also referenced previously announced anime and game projects in the same franchise.
What happened
Dragami Games has announced a live-action Lollipop Chainsaw film. According to the report, the movie takes place before the events of the original 2012 game, making it a prequel. The announcement is part of a broader franchise push around the series, which has been in the news repeatedly in recent months thanks to new plans across multiple media.
The lead role once again belongs to Juliet Starling, the character from the game. In the synopsis shared via Deadline, Juliet is said to fight off a zombie outbreak at her school to save her friends and family while keeping her boyfriend Nick close to her. That keeps the film close to the tone and premise of the original title, though the available information is still limited to an early description of the project.
The film is being described as an R-rated action comedy. No cast, studio, distributor, or release date has been announced yet. There is also no confirmation on the production schedule or when filming is expected to begin. The report does note that the movie is part of a larger revival of the franchise, but concrete production details remain unavailable for now.
Dragami Games is tying the film to wider franchise plans. The company is also working on a previously announced anime series and a sequel game for Lollipop Chainsaw. Those projects were earlier linked to NADA Holdings and Dragami Games, but no final release dates or definitive creative details have been revealed there either.
There is currently no confirmation that original names such as Suda51 or James Gunn are involved with the film. The available information is limited to the announcement and the first description of the project. The report also does not provide any new confirmation regarding Grasshopper Manufacture.
Timeline
2012 — The original Lollipop Chainsaw game launches with Juliet Starling in the lead role and lays the foundation for the later franchise.
2025 — NADA Holdings and Dragami Games announce new franchise plans, including a game and an anime adaptation, repositioning the series as a multimedia brand.
2026-09-17 — IGN reports that Dragami Games has announced a live-action Lollipop Chainsaw film and that the project is being positioned as a prequel.
2026-09-17 — The film is described as a prequel starring Juliet Starling and as an R-rated action comedy; Deadline is cited as the source for the first synopsis.
2026-09-18 — GAME-scanner publishes a separate article about Lollipop Chainsaw 2 Back2Back for PS5, with a planned release in 2027.
2026-09-18 — External coverage of the new game again references the earlier franchise plans from NADA Holdings and Dragami Games, including the anime adaptation.
2026-09-19 — No information has been shared yet about casting, a studio, a distributor, or a release date for the film.
2026-09-19 — No final production dates have been confirmed yet for the anime series or the sequel game either.
Background
Lollipop Chainsaw is an action game centered on Juliet Starling and has grown into a franchise with multiple new projects. The live-action film fits into that broader revival, alongside the previously announced anime and the new game. That means the series is being expanded not just as a game, but also as a film and animation property.
The report does not add any new details about Grasshopper Manufacture or about any possible role for the original creative names. The film’s production timeline also remains unclear. What is clear is that the movie is not being presented as a standalone project, but as part of a wider set of new initiatives around the same brand. That makes the announcement relevant within Dragami Games’ current franchise planning.
The available information also shows that the film is still at an early stage. No actors, director, producers, or distributor have been named, and there is no release date or filming start date yet. The synopsis referenced via Deadline only gives an initial direction for the story and confirms that Juliet remains at the center. For now, it is still a conceptual announcement, while the anime series and sequel game also remain without a full public schedule.
Related GAME-scanner articles
Sources
- IGN — report on the live-action Lollipop Chainsaw film.
- Deadline — film synopsis as referenced in the report.
- Earlier franchise announcements from Dragami Games and NADA Holdings — reference to the anime and the new game.