‘Persona’ live-action TV adaptation in the works at Netflix
Netflix is developing a live-action series based on the “Persona” video game franchise Variety has learned from sources.
Christopher Monfette is attached to write the adaptation and also serves as executive producer and showrunner. Shawn Levy and Robert Atwood of 21 Laps will also executive produce, along with Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg and Timothy I. Stevenson via Story Kitchen. SEGA’s Toru Nakahara will also executive produce. 21 Laps currently has an overall TV deal with Netflix.
Netflix declined to comment.
“Persona” has proven to be a wildly popular RPG franchise. While the plot varies from game to game, they generally focus on Japanese high school students who have to go through normal daily routines and build and maintain friendships, while also dealing with supernatural threats.
Developed by P-Studios (a division of Atlus) and published by Sega, there have been six main entries in the ‘Persona’ franchise to date, with the seventh entry – ‘Persona 6’ – officially confirmed to be in the works in June 2026. There are also 15 related spin-offs in the franchise. The games originated as a spin-off of the Japanese game series ‘Shin Megami Tensei’, with ‘Revelations: Persona’ debuting in 1996. The most recent entry was 2025’s ‘Persona 5: The Phantom
Should it go ahead, this wouldn’t be the first Netflix series based on video game IP. The streamer also produced the live-action TV show ‘The Witcher’ and animated shows such as ‘Arcane’, ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’, ‘Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft’ and more.
Monfette has previously written for shows including “12 Monkeys” at Syfy, “Star Trek: Picard” at Paramount+ and “9-1-1” for Fox & ABC. He also serves as a writer and co-executive producer on the upcoming Marvel Disney+ series “VisionQuest.”
On the TV side, 21 Laps most famously produced the megahit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” which recently concluded after five blockbuster seasons with the streamer. The show helped put Netflix originals on the map and helped prove that streaming series could be just as successful, if not more so, than shows on traditional outlets. 21 Laps was also behind hit shows like ‘The Perfect Couple’ and ‘Last Man Standing’, while the company has also produced successful films including the recent hit ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, with Levy directing and co-writing the latter film.
Story Kitchen was founded in 2022 by “Sonic the Hedgehog” producer Johnson and former agency partner Goldberg, with veteran production director Stevenson and creative director Elena Sandoval. The company specializes in video game adaptations and other non-traditional IP in television and film. Current offerings include the live-action “Tomb Raider” series and the live-action version of “Life Is Strange,” both of which are set up on Amazon Prime Video.
Monfette is represented by Industry Entertainment. 21 Laps is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham. Story Kitchen is repped by WME and Pryor Cashman Sherman & Flynn.
