Akira

[josh]

Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume graphic novel masterwork "Akira" into two live action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009, reports Variety.

WB, which had the "Akira" rights several years ago, only to let them lapse and then recapture them in a spirited bidding battle, is planning a twin-bill that the filmmakers have described as Blade Runner meets City of God.

The studio has closed a seven-figure rights acquisition deal with Kodansha, and has set Ruairi Robinson to direct a script by Gary Whitta (Book of Eli). Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance will produce with Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

Each feature will be comprised of three of the books in Otomo's series. The drama takes place in "New Manhattan," a metropolis that was rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years ago.

Robinson, an Irish helmer who has been Oscar-nominated for his short film and commercials work, is making his feature debut.

from ComingSoon.Net

well... thoughts?

[Valkysas]

its great that they arent trying to shove it all into one movie. that gives me quite a bit of hope. they understand the story is just too damn big for that.

[josh]

yeah that and it's not a straight remake of the original movie. I dunno. I DUNNO.

[Kefka Jr.]

Blade Runner meets City of God.http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p214/kefkajr/yotsuba/yotsuba-fright.jpg

[Translucid]

must... not get hopes up

[John Mora]

Leonardo DiCaprio will make an excellent Tetsuo flesh monster.

[Duel]

I've never seen the original. Is it good?

[gray]

really bad. don't bother




still, **** this

[Nixon]

I'm curious, but I seriously doubt it'll be any good. I did enjoy the movie, but nothing can compare to the manga.

The drama takes place in "New Manhattan..."

Because New York and LA are the only cities in the US. Ever.

[Alzar]

MY WORLD OF WARCRAFT CHARACTER IS NAMED AKIRA

[josh]

Because New York and LA are the only cities in the US. Ever.

I bet the Japanese feel the same way about Tokyo.

[Stormy]

I saw the anime movie, my God was that f---ed up.

Psychic powers == Awesome

Synthetic Parts Absorbed By Flesh == Strange, Kinda Gross, But Kinda Cool

Giant Mutating Flesh Monster That Swallows A Soccer Statium == Barftastic


Oh yeah, that rant in the holding cell about energy and ameobas was one of the stupidest things i've ever heard. It was almost as bad as the conversation on the third disc of .hack//Liminality (dvd feature packaged with the .hack// games).

[highwind]

BLEEP BLARP DUMPSTER WONT WORK BUT OKAY.

[Stormy]

Okay, perhaps I should've mentioned that the fact it was in English probably didn't help, as it never does, and that I look forward to seeing a better adaptation (I'll wait to hear from all of you on that) so I can get an experience worthy of the story.

[Denmo]

I liked Akira. :(

[SirTMagus]

I love Akira, manga and movie.

THIS?

This is madness.

My theory, the buzz surrounding the Speed Racer and DBZ movies is getting this fast tracked...

I wonder what anime property is next?

<------ :(

[Nixon]

Okay, perhaps I should've mentioned that the fact it was in English probably didn't help, as it never does, and that I look forward to seeing a better adaptation (I'll wait to hear from all of you on that) so I can get an experience worthy of the story.

Just read the manga. All 2,000+ pages of it. Then you'll understand why it's pretty much impossible to condense it into movie form. It would make a great animated series, but I doubt anyone would be willing to finance such an endeavor.

[Denmo]

I really need to pick up that 2000+ page manga sometime... The bookstores in town never carry it.

[Nixon]

It's been reprinted now, so it should be easy to find online.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1569714983/ref=pd_bbs_sr_olp_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203605787&sr=8-3

Ebay might have better prices, honestly. you shouldn't pay more than $25.00 for each one, though, since that's retail.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Akira-Katsuhiro-Otomo-TPB-Vol-1_W0QQitemZ350027832498QQihZ022QQcategoryZ35784QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[highwind]

Just read the manga. All 2,000+ pages of it. Then you'll understand why it's pretty much impossible to condense it into movie form. It would make a great animated series, but I doubt anyone would be willing to finance such an endeavor.

YES!

[John Mora]

I sorta feel that the movie's superior. It cuts to the chase and gets to the heart of the themes in the manga and doesn't have an entire volume dedicated to one overlong chase scene like the manga does. Katsuhiro Otomo does NOT know when to end an action scene. Steamboy further proves this. The manga just started repeating itself after the halfway mark and left me with an ending I actually felt was ignorant and offensive (not sure if that was the intended effect). The art is beautiful, but I got more pleasure from the movie.

[Nixon]

I disagree. All the action scenes are perfect (it's an EPIC, so expect things to be drawn out), and while it wasn't amazing, I enjoyed the ending. The manga actually takes time to fully develop the characters, while the movie merely attempts to do so. Kaneda, Kay and Tetsuo are much stronger characters in the manga, and their stories are that much more compelling.

Steamboy was meh, and it has nothing to do with this.

But, if you want something that's concise, beautiful and disturbing, read DOMU.

[John Mora]

I'd like to. And I referenced Steamboy because it was another Otomo project and felt it had similar flaws to his other works.

I just thought the ending to Akira was incredibly enraging. Oh, you're gonna deny medical care to all the wounded sick people in your new society? Or how about supplies to feed and clothe everyone? It just seems like they gave the rest of the world the middle finger out of spite. But then again, Kaneda isn't a real respectable person to have as a leader.

[Nixon]

I think John Mora is incredible enraging. :P

DOMU was just reprinted, so it should be available in bookstores and, for the uber-nerdy, comic book shops.

[highwind]

I love the movie but the manga is waaaaaaaaaaaay more engaging.

[Kire]

starring Kanye West.

[John Mora]

As the leader of the Clown gang? :3

[Valkysas]

my nephew (who was 4 at the time) got the figure of him, and named it sugarplum.

kinda forever ruined the "chicken" scene for me.

"oh, hey, it's sugarplum".

[IRC]

From Leonardo DiCapprio no less. I don't know what to make of it (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20179211,00.html).

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

nice double topic irc

http://www.pavilionboards.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16225

[josh]

hooray I win!

[IRC]

Well excuse me if I thought it was about some guy who just stumbled upon the old movie.

[Big Rick Cook]

ADMINISTRATORS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY COW

Edit: Also, in a semi-related note, I watched a horrible movie called "Mulva: Zombie Ass Kicker" a few weeks ago, and a guy dressed up as Vegeta was getting his arm torn off and he screams out of nowhere, "TETSUOOOOOOOOO!" which was so random and awesome that Mountain Dew shot out my nose, which was not so awesome.

[162]

Uh-oh...(or is it?)

[Chuck]

Also, in a semi-related note, I watched a horrible movie called "Vulva: Zombie Ass Licker" a few weeks ago, and a guy dressed up as Vagina was getting his **** torn off and he screams out of nowhere, "TETSUOOOOOOOOO!" which was so random and awesome that Mountain Dew shot out my ****, which was not so awesome.

[Big Rick Cook]

It's amazing how easily that was converted. o_0

[Chuck]

"New Manhattan?" Two-part epic?

PASS!

[Garr123]

If this "two-part epic" is cut where I think it is I will probably skip the giant psychic baby bull**** of part two.

Akira is one of those animes that is completely awesome up until it it gets really weird and retarded.

[KumoShinagi]

*sigh* First DragonBall, now this?

Why must Hollywood wreck the classics?

[Big Rick Cook]

DragonBall isn't a classic. It's a wreck.

[Valkysas]

Dragonball is a classic.

Dragonball Z is a wreck.

Akira Toriyama says so himself.

[KumoShinagi]

Dragonball is a classic.

Dragonball Z is a wreck.

Akira Toriyama says so himself.

At last, someone knows the difference.

[Big Rick Cook]

I was bored with both. So *shrug*

[Kefka Jr.]

It wouldn't be anime if it wasn't weird and retarded.

[IRC]

I was content to let my topic die considering it adds nothing to this one. Oh well. I wonder if this is a reaction to speed racer and we're going to see the same thing that happened to comic book movies after X-men.

[Sejon]

speaking of which, whatever happened to that live-action Evangelion film they were planning?

[SirTMagus]

nothing.

the way it should be.

[Garr123]

Shia Lebeouf as Shinji Ikari

[SirTMagus]

I will ****ing kill myself.

[Garr123]

i would kill shia lebeouf

fake edit: has anyone ever made a pun out of your name by calling you SirTFagus

[SirTMagus]

constantly.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i1afdf3970176b31535ab928b875958d1

Check out the pic there.

[Garr123]

Is that the skeleton biker guy from the 3d street fighter game?

Edit: rival schools*

[Dreamknight]

Hahaha, nice. Rival Schools.

[Nixon]

:lol

I had no idea they were one and the same.

[Valkysas]

Is that the skeleton biker guy from *rival schools*
biker girl.

also, the skeleton person in the 3D street fighter was Skullomania.

who also showed up in Fighter Maker.

[John Mora]

Skullomania deserves more attention.

[John Mora]

TRAVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS (http://io9.com/5082125/live+action-akira-remake-script-surprisingly-faithful-to-the-original)

[highwind]

TRAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Sejon]

Yet they keep Kaneda?

...what?

[SirTMagus]

TRAVVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS

[KumoShinagi]

Travis? What the ****.

Whatever. As long as it does stay faithful yet refreshing...

[Duel]

I don't think I've said this....

I've never read or have seen Akira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chuck]

The Hughes Brothers to Direct the Akira Remake (http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/02/akira_remake_hughes_bros.html)

Warner Bros. is negotiating to reteam with The Book of Eli's Hughes brothers to have them direct a live-action remake of the cult favorite Akira, from a script by Iron Man scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.

Warners won’t proceed with a single, live-action remake of the film, which trimmed away the last half of the 2,182-page graphic novel in order to weigh in at just over two hours. Instead, we hear that the studio is planning to make Akira in two parts, with the first three volumes of the six-volume manga making up the first film, due out next year.

[John Mora]

If you ask me, Akira didn't lose any important thematic elements in the cut.

[highwind]

I love the Manga and it should be given its own treatment!

[josh]

that's similar to what I think should be done with Battle Royale. my hopes for this movie slightly improved! but we all know that it doesn't matter how faithful it is to the original, a poorly made piece of **** is a poorly made piece of ****. TIME WILL TELL.

[Duel]

I don't know much about Akira but isn't it similar to Book of Denzel Washington?