The Japanese pop trio "Babymetal" will be featured in a hybrid live-action/animated digital short to be produced by Warner Bros. digital studio arm, Blue Ribbon Content (BRC).
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the untitled project is still in development and has not been sold yet as of this writing.
According to Indie Wire, the short is an action-adventure which will take viewers inside the magical world of heavy metal music as it comes under attack, and one lonely god, Kitsune, forms the warrior band BABYMETAL to save the day. In the series, SU-METAL, YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL join together to ultimately redefine the genre.
The series will also feature new live-action performances from the group, who will enter the animated world through a secret portal.
The deal between "Babymetal" and Warner Bros. was announced by the latter's president, Sam Register. "Babymetal have to be seen to believed - a mind-blowing, fun combination of pop vocals, heavy metal music and dance choreography brought to life by three incredibly talented teenage stars," he said.
"Babymetal" is a Japanese idol band which consists of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal", and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". The trio shot into global fame by combining heavy-metal instrumentation with sugary vocals and flashy stage theatrics and choreography. The band first released its self-titled album in 2014 which quickly rose to number 1 on both the US and UK iTunes Metal charts.
It reached number 1 on the Japanese Oricon Daily Chart and peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers chart as well as 187 on the Billboard 200. In December 2014, "Babymetal" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan after it sold more than 100,000 physical copies.
On the other hand, Blue Ribbon Content is the digital studio arm of Warner Bros. formed in 2014. It develops and produces live-action series and animated content for digital platforms. Some of its contents include "Now We're Talking" in partnership with LeBron James, "Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles" for Machinima, and "Batman: The Animated Series" virtual-reality experience for Mattel's View-Master.
