Live Action Anime: We're Never Gonna See 'Em ...Right?

azulmagia · Post by **azulmagia** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:40 pm

I came across this recently on Ain't it Cool News:

File this one under "never say never"... According to Bloody Disgusting, Warner Bros. Pictures is hot to get the ball rolling on its live action remake of Katsuhiro Otomo's anime/manga classic Akira before the writers' strike becomes an issue. Reportedly, Irish director Ruairi Robinson (The Silent City) will be helming the project.

Back in 2003, Stephen Norrington (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) was attached to direct a version of the film, written by James Robinson.

In Akira, Otomo presented a vision of Tokyo destroyed by war, rebuilt, and now ready to explode under the pressure of its internal strife. The movie's clashing biker gangs and heady psychic visions became an early testament to the violent, mature side of anime when the film was brought to North America in 1989.

The anime movie is currently available in North America through Geneon. The manga, which was started before and finished after the anime, is available through Dark Horse.

Personally... the project is banished to development/legal hell, but I would rather see Guillermo del Toro's take on Otomo's claustrophobic Akira-precursor Domu.

(Link)

Every time I hear a news story about a western live-action adaptation of an anime/manga series, (as opposed to such productions as live-action Cromartie High, Nana, and God forbid, Dragonball Z: The Magic Begins) it's either a story that some director or producer have optioned the rights to the property in question (like James Cameron and live-action Battle Angel Alita), or that pre-production has hit some snag or hasn't even begun (like live-action Evangelion).

I haven't seen a single news story about anyone being definitely being cast in a part in any of these movies (as compared to say, the latest Star Trek flick... which so far sounds like it's going to be complete shite BTW), let alone that shooting has begun.

So what we have are several live-action anime adaptations that are in one way or another, in limbo as it were.

I think we have to face it: we're not going to see any live-action versions of any of our favourite animes anytime in the forseeable future. I mean this in the same sense as we are not going to see a Middle-East peace anytime in the forseeable future.

Anyone disagree with me?

togi · Post by **togi** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:54 pm

i tend to agree, it is much more probable that we will see more comic adaptations before and any live action anime in the near or somewhat near future. sad indeed.

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:53 pm

One can only hope the people that finance movie making will continue to realize live-action anime adaptations are money-sinks that are pretty much destined to be b-grade cult films and there's little anyone can do about that.

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:19 pm

transformers

Minion · Post by **Minion** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:23 pm

Farlo wrote:transformers

/thread

The Origonal Head Hunter · Post by **The Origonal Head Hunter** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 10:25 pm

Minion wrote:
Farlo wrote:transformers
/thread

x2

azulmagia · Post by **azulmagia** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:21 pm

Not enough people know of or think of Transformers as anime for that to really count.

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:29 pm

azulmagia wrote:Not enough people know of or think of Transformers as anime for that to really count.

In fact, most of it is non-anime, produced either in or for the North American market.

Farlo · Post by **Farlo** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:05 pm

yes, however the movie was more or less based on the original anime and not the shitty derivative new stuff. and you cant really call the animated movie not well known, i grew up with it, but maybe you guys are younger than me.

Ginger Gouki · Post by **Ginger Gouki** » Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:30 am

All it'll take is one. The movie bizz is all about 'gettin teh moneys' and nothing more. As soon as someone makes a bit of cash off a live-action anime, it'll all go tits-up and we get to be ankle deep in shitty remakes till the end of time.

Tho if I ever see "Uwe Boll To direct FLCL Live Action", im gonna start killing...