So, word is that someone wants to make a live-action Akira movie.

I think this could be really cool if they go back and use the original source material and maybe take a slightly different course than the anime. Though i doubt anything could ever compete with the original soundtrack.

My only real worry is that they'll try to over-Americanize it. "Neo-New York" just doesn't quite work.

DD seems to have a pretty heavy manga/anime fanbase. What are your thoughts on this? Not to mention all of the other live-action animes slated to come out: Speed Racer, Dragonball, Battle Angel (Gunnm) to name the ones i've heard about.

per IMDB.com they have it slated as a Part One and Part Two...which I think would be cool and a must because it is such a massive story. Would even work better as a mini-series. But honestly Its only in discussion and possible scripting stage, I don't see it happening any time soon. Plus if you do check the IMDB listing it has rumored attached Leonardo Decrapio! UGH!!! please! don't want! I think an American version would make a travesty of this iconic story for Manga and Anime lovers.

I'm not to sure about it. I know with how technology is, they can do all the cool stuff and effect that they couldn't do in the 80's, but I think that the actors I've heard that they chose wouldn't really fit well as the Akira characters from the book.

I think Akira crosses enough cultural boundaries that it wouldn't matter whether it's set in Tokyo or New York. Gov't conspiracies, fanatical religious cults, junkies, gangbangers, homebrew terrorists... plenty of them to go around on both sides of the Pacific.

As for Leonardo... no. Now if he was 20 yrs younger, he'd make a pretty good Tetsuo with the right makeup, I think.

Someone
I think Akira crosses enough cultural boundaries that it wouldn't matter whether it's set in Tokyo or New York.

It could of course, it's just that it would be a little weird to see some Swedish-blond kid playing a character named Tetsuo.

Ultimately there really is no reason to change national settings since the story is so culturally inclusive.

Actually the more i think of it, certain plot elements and certain characters seemed either very American (Kanada and his biker gang) or very Japanese (the Colonel and the Priestess).

This is back on? I heard they scrapped the idea.

Heh, no. I don't think is crosses bounderies enough to work outside of Japan. The whole Akira thing is so intimately "NEO-Tokyo"... The whole theme, the idea, the very apeal of it to start with is the setting just as much as the story.

But... I liked Roujin Z much better ^^

Personally, I loved the anime for the visuals, but the story got so mangled being put into a two hour movie... I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't also read the manga. Anyway, as long as the film idea is to follow the manga more closely I'll give it a shot. Hopefully they're not just planning to use the Akira name to sell a more or less unrelated movie...

Huh, this'll be interesting... Hopefully it'll be good, since it looks like the live-action Evangelion movie is never gonna get back in production...

I doubt you could expect anything good out of this movie. Hollywood has a tendency to focus on the wrong aspects of established franchises. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of violence, special effects, and very little of the themes that were present in the manga or movie. I mean, they're already changing the major characters as well as moving everything to New York, why should we expect it to be in any way faithful to the manga?

This is basically the Evangelion movie all over again and that's a movie I hope never does go into production. It had nothing going for it when they started parading it around looking for money. Akira is looking pretty familiar with a director who's directing experience encompasses a grand total of ten minutes of footage and a writer who worked on episodes for the worst of the Star Trek series as well as some comedic shows. It may not be as bad as having a dub writer pen your scripts, but it certainly isn't as good as getting someone with more experience in capturing the kind of feel the original movie and manga had.

It just doesn't look that promising to me.

I generally don't trust imdb with early preproduction rumors. Partly because there are no scruples as to where people are getting their info and partly because i just don't want to believe what i read.

It's still in scripting stage, which could mean anything for this movie.

NO!! No Dammit! NO!

TheMidge28
per IMDB.com they have it slated as a Part One and Part Two...which I think would be cool and a must because it is such a massive story. Would even work better as a mini-series. But honestly Its only in discussion and possible scripting stage, I don't see it happening any time soon. Plus if you do check the IMDB listing it has rumored attached Leonardo Decrapio! UGH!!! please! don't want! I think an American version would make a travesty of this iconic story for Manga and Anime lovers.

Leo is producing and starring in it. Yes it is going to happen. The first film is being rushed for an 09' release.

Anyone who thinks for a moment that an Americanized version of this film could work is an idiot. I'm sorry, there is no way it could work outside of Japan, considering the books and film had strong political statements about the Japanese government, as par with Otomo's work. Putting it in a whole new setting takes away from a crucial part of the writing. Think how V for Vendetta became more of a statement against the war in Iraq with more subtle ties to America's current policies as opposed to the British goverment that the comic sought to critisize.

I would love for a film of Akria to follow the books more closely. But you can't have that and then start changing the setting, characters, etc to make it more acceptable to a different culture and call it "closer to the books". That's just a stupid way of thinking, and is part of the reason so many terrible "based on" movies have been made in the last few years.

Also what would Akria be without "TETSUOOOO", "KANEDAAAAAA". Have fun with "STEEEEVE", "JOHNNNNNN". What a retarded idea.

Also, rumor has it another high profile actor is taking the same idea Leo had and is seeking to produce a live action Reboot movie. I guess Hollywood really is out of bright new ideas. :/

lefarce
Also, rumor has it another high profile actor is taking the same idea Leo had and is seeking to produce a live action Reboot movie. I guess Hollywood really is out of bright new ideas. :/

...Reboot? Are you serious? *facepalm* Good Lord. James Cameron's working on a live-action version of Battle Angel Alita, of all things. You're right; they are running out of ideas!

I like my title for it "Bad Idea 2: electric boogaloo!

Ziffy88
I like my title for it "Bad Idea 2: electric boogaloo!

More like "Bad Idea 2: The Quest for More Money". -_-

It's still in scripting stage, which could mean anything for this movie.

Not necessarily. In most cases, a movie doesn't even go into preproduction without at least a rough script, unless it's an animated feature. Saying something is in the scripting phase doesn't mean that they haven't already completely outlined the storyline, penned rough dialog, and worked on the basic scene planning of the picture. Odds are, at this point, they already know what changes are going to be made, who the principle characters are, what the setting will be and how the two movies, if it will be two movies, will play out. Usually by this time, they would have already had talks with directors and especially if they are working on the scripting, the writer would already be working on the project. While imdb isn't the best source for information about movies (and sometimes they are totally wrong even about movies and TV shows that are already out) I'd say a good 98% of the time they are least have the top three staff members (writer, director, and producer) correct.

A live-action REBOOT?!?!?! Oh god...I can see it now.....







(I made them myself!) lol!

From an article I have read few weeks ago...

The live-action version of "Akira" has long been in development at Warner Bros., with producers Jon Peters (Superman Returns) and Basil Iwanyk (Firewall) involved as well as directors Stephen Norrington (Blade) and Pitof (Catwoman). No director has yet been confirmed, nor is it known whether DiCaprio intends to star in "Akira."

SUPERMAN RETURNS? CATWOMAN? BLADE? aaaand leonardo diCRAPpio?

Honestly, I feel like someone came to my house, pulled down his pants and took a dump on my plate and then asked me why I'm not eating...

*calms down*
I hope no one's eating while reading this, if you are, sorry :D


ok, the only way I could SEE Akira done on video again is if they'd took the manga and adapt it into an OVA similar to the Hellsing ones, meaning using the manga as storyboards for the animation. That's because I want to see the later volumes in color AND moving on the screen.

Meh.

ozoneocean
But... I liked Roujin Z much better ^^

Like.....whoa. I saw that anime years ago on Saturday Anime.
Anybody remember Saturday Anime? They used to play Project A-ko n' stuff...I kind of miss it.

A live action Akira just sounds pointless to me....oooo, a cgi blob-Tetsuo instead of a cartoon version. Yay.

lastcall
A live-action REBOOT?!?!?! Oh god...I can see it now.....







(I made them myself!) lol!

It's scary how well that works o_O

So we're past sequels, and remakes, and adaptions of books, and onto adaptions of anime. What next, an original idea?

Custard Trout
So we're past sequels, and remakes, and adaptions of books, and onto adaptions of anime. What next, an original idea?

You forgot the comic book adaptations and remakes of asian horror cinema (different than just remake of any old movie... mostly cause these are NEW movies they're remaking).

What's next... hmm, maybe musicals will return? :)

"Custard Trout" Said:

So we're past sequels, and remakes, and adaptions of books, and onto adaptions of anime. What next, an original idea?

You forgot the comic book adaptations and remakes of asian horror cinema (different than just remake of any old movie... mostly cause these are NEW movies they're remaking).

What's next... hmm, maybe musicals will return?

That's already begun. Starting with The Producers, the adaptation of a broadway musical based off a 1978 Mel Brooks movie. That's like a double musical remake, (though in all fairness i really liked it.)



Those fucking asian horror remakes (shakes fist impotently in the general direction of Hollywood).

Maybe Little Shop of Horrors or Moulin Rouge?

Musicals have been steadily making a comeback for a few years now. Moulin Rouge really generated a lot of interest in the genre and then we started to see a lot of Broadway musicals making their way back onto the big screen with movies based on Rent, Phantom of the Opera, the Producers, Chicago, Sweeny Todd, Hairspray, Reefer Madness, and Dreamgirls.

In all honesty, I don't think Hollywood has gotten any less original in that respect. Movies have always been heavily influenced by popular literature, theater, pop culture, and history. There really isn't any point in film history where movies weren't for the most part based on exiting ideas. Some of the greatest films out there are based on books, plays or actual people and events.

Now, what I find more interesting is that we're starting to see a reverse trend of musical theater borrowing heavily from movies. Spamalot, the Disney musicals, the Producers, Evil Dead (with the splatter zone where audience members can get drenched in fake blood), Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the Full Monty, , etc.

weren't some of those originally plays

Borrowing is fine, all ideas are borrowed to some degree, I would even go so far as to say that every thought a human can have are borrowed at some level.

Remaking isn't borrowing; it's taking a story and reworking it in your own vision. The thing is the invisible film gremlins aren't doing that, they're just copying older, more successful films directly in the hope of squeezing profit from them. The only reason I’m calling them remakes is that I can't think of a better term.

Hollywood has been on & off with doing live-action movies of anime for eons now. The only ones the ever did were Guyver and Fist Of The North Star, both of which were total shit(especially Guyver 2!). I'm suprised they actually had photos of the production of the upcoming Dragonball movie, the release date for which has now been pushed back about 9 months. Speed Racer doesn't really count because even though it was originally an anime series, Speed Racer is an American franchise, like Robotech or Voltron. There's been talk in the past about doint U.S. movies of Sailor Moon, Evangelion, Mai The Psychic Girl, Real Bout High School, Lupin III, and probably about a dozen more, but so far nothing has really been done about them.

Remaking isn't borrowing; it's taking a story and reworking it in your own vision.

That's exactly what I'm talking about, though. Most movies, even classics, are adaptations of existing stories usually taken from books or plays. I'm not talking about a writer seeing a story and deciding to make something similar, I'm talking about them rewriting a classic story for the silver screen. Same characters, same setting, etc.