‘South Park’ Creators Speak Out on the Idea of a Live-Action Version
South Park is currently in its 27th season, and despite some fans wondering about a live-action version, the show’s creators have made it clear that it’s not happening anytime soon. The animated series recently came back with one of its most watched episodes in years, which included a surprising live-action bit near the end.
Still, that doesn’t mean a full live-action South Park is on the table.
At the Comedy Central panel during San Diego Comic-Con 2025, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker talked about the idea of turning South Park into a live-action show. When asked if fans might ever see this happen, Parker was quick to say, “We’ve never been approached.” Considering how popular the series has been for decades, this was a bit unexpected. But they explained that making South Park work as a live-action show would be very difficult.
Stone shared his thoughts on some online AI-generated live-action clips that tried to imitate South Park characters. He said, “There’s been a couple of people online who’ve done A.I. versions of stuff… a couple of them are pretty funny. I never thought that would work. Seeing what looks like a real, you know, fat Cartman run around and call people names. It was pretty funny actually, but we’ve never done it seriously. That’s just something I’ve seen.”
Parker added what he believes is the real problem with live-action South Park. He said, “I don’t know if watching a little kid get hit by a bus and dying would be funny every week.” The animation style lets the show get away with its wild and often dark humor, which might not work the same way in live-action.
Stone and Parker have experimented with live-action moments before, using them as quick jokes or parodies, like when they showed the boys as grown-up adults or in an episode where Stan was trapped in different virtual worlds. These brief touches work because they’re not the main focus. But turning the whole series into live-action could lose the charm and humor that fans love.
The first trailer for ‘SOUTH PARK’ Season 27 has been released.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 2, 2025
Releasing on July 9. pic.twitter.com/GVXS0NwZiJ
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