Crazy Taxi, Stranger Than Heaven Movies Set At Netflix Alongside Sonic Show

Netflix has set a new slate of projects with video game company Sega, including film adaptations of their titles Crazy Taxi and Stranger Than Heaven, and a new Sonic children’s series.

Dan Gregor & Doug Mand, the screenwriting duo behind 2025’s reboot of The Naked Gun, are penning Crazy Taxi. First released in arcades in 1999, the game puts players behind the wheel of a fearless cabbie racing the clock through chaotic city streets — flying off ramps, dodging traffic, and chasing tips with punk-rock energy. The next installment in the series, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, releases next year. Producers on the film include the Sonic franchise’s Neal H. Moritz & Toby Ascher (for Original Film) and Toru Nakahara.

Netflix’s animated Sonic series, in development with Carlos Stevens and Nakahara, is targeting “an upper pre-school audience,” per the streamer — “a high-voltage, comedic, yet emotionally grounded series built for kids who want to feel a little edge, a little attitude, and a lot of ‘that’s my crew’ wish fulfillment.”

From RGG Studio — developer of the Like a Dragon / Yakuza series — Stranger Than Heaven takes place in early 20th-century Japan, following a foreigner who claws his way from destitute stranger to feared yakuza to entertainment tycoon. Nakahara is producing the live-action feature take.

Netflix and Sega come to their new partnership after working together on the animated series Sonic Prime, which ran for three seasons.

Sega’s Head Producer Nakahara said, “Expect something cute yet cool for Sonic, hilariously crazy for Crazy Taxi, and a badass action drama for STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, because we’ve got some amazing creative ideas lined up and we are just getting started. The whole team is absolutely thrilled!”

Netflix’s Brandon Riegg, VP of Nonfiction and Transmedia, said: “Great games already have what every adaptation is chasing — characters people love, worlds they know by heart, and fandoms that show up. With Crazy Taxi, Sonic and Stranger Than Heaven, we get to work across three completely different eras of Sega’s catalog, celebrating everything fans love, while introducing them to new audiences.”

Sega’s President and COO, Shuji Utsumi, stated: “We’ve watched Netflix take on stories across every kind of format and treat each one with real craft, and seeing that same dedication applied to Sonic, Crazy Taxi and Stranger Than Heaven is something we at Sega are incredibly proud to be a part of. The fandoms of these games deserve storytelling that honors what makes each title special, and we know Netflix shares that commitment. This is just the start of what these titles can become.”

Sega’s trio of games joins a growing slate of video game adaptations at Netflix that includes a live-action Assassin’s Creed series; live-action Gears of War film; animated series adaptations based on Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering and Clash of Clans; competition series Overcooked; second seasons of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Splinter Cell: Deathwatch; and the third and final season of Devil May Cry.