Blade Director to Adapt 'Akira' For Western Audiences

dswensen writes: "According to the Sci-Fi Channel web site, Steven Norrington (director of Blade) is going to write and direct an adaptation of the classic anime Akira. Norrington says his story 'preserves the tone, the visual and the epic scope of the original, whilst telling a somewhat more accessible story [to Western audiences]." The article doesn't mention whether the adaptation will be animated or live-action. Given Norrington's track record and the butchery that usually takes place under the guise of making something 'accessible,' it's hard to take this as extraordinarily good news."

Comments

More accessible

[Pholostan]

as in simplified story with overobvious plot and a speaker voice that explains things again?

I'm a bit sceptical, I kind of like Akira as it is.

Fortunately, we recently got the 'pure' version.

[2Flower]

The latest Akira DVD release has a completely redone script / sub track / dub track that's a more accurate translation of the original. That means we've got as perfect a version as we can get (and with decent dubbing, too!). Stephen can go and make his version; maybe it'll be entertaining.

Now, if they pull the DVD off shelves or never released one in the first place, assuming that the watered down hackjob version Mr. Blade is gonna produce is the best one, then I'd be raging upset. As is I'm only mildly amused, but slightly perturbed at what this means for the future...

If more movie hauses decide this is the way to go -- remake rather than port over. Anime's just starting to get a slim toehold on American theatres (Princess Mononoke, Vampire Hunter D) and having remakes shove them aside is not good.

This is great- last thing Akira needs

[dfenstrate]

Is the director of "Blade" making it 'more accessible.'

Pardon me, but Blade was an entertaining but pointless and trite movie. It was not something to be considered an artistic acheivement, in terms of films.

And this guy is going to remake Akira?
Right. It'll be shiny, and ready for the lowest common denominator audience, I'll give him that. But He'll probably toss out everything that seperates "Akira" from a well drawn saturday morning cartoon.

Yes but...

[Xapp]

I agree strongly with the majority of responses so far. Akira is fine the way it is. But, Narrington will make money on this flick. It is inevitatble, the Hollywood machine will continue to roll. Marketers will be there to hype the movie. Special effects artists will be there to "improve" the visual aspect of the movie. Etc. etc.. I for one will not watch this movie. But I strongly suspect that I will be able to read a review, here on /..

I beleive I can fly!

An adaption of an adaption?

[barberio]

I wonder if this will be an adaption of the manga, or an adaption of the anime.

The anime was created while the manga was in its early issues with a lot of plotline unresolved. It didnt make an atempt to follow the manga except for use of some set pieces and characters.

A live action adaptation sounds interesting. Unfortunatly, thats 'Street Fighter', 'Gyver' and 'Final Fantasy' interesting. And for me, having run an anime soc, having seen Akira many many times had sucked all the enjoyment out of it already. So I worry that Hollywood will try to suck more.

Concerned, but this could be a positive thing

[AmiNTT]

Akira has always held as special place with me. It was the first piece of anime that I saw in Japanese and didn't care that I didn't understand what they were saying. I got it from the visuals.

I've seen Akira on the big screen a few times, and it rocks. I've often wondered if there ever would be a follow up to it, but someone from Hollywood wasn't who I had in mind.

It has always bothered me that alot of anime hasn't been taken seriously for the sheer talent that goes into the story and art. I've always thought that alot (not all) of anime chose to go places that regular film would not or could not (like Akira).

If this project does make it to film, I certainly hope that Norrington doesn't *completely* ruin it. At very least it will bring new viewers to the original version Akira (even if its dubbed in English), and that can't be a bad thing, can it?

3rd/ 4th generation retelling?

[flogger]

Akira was a great comic series. I was turned on to it during the late 80's when Eclipse Comics was translating Japanese manga into English. The story was compelling and just, well great. I saw the 2nd generation of Akira. At the time I didn't read Japanese and didn't have the original version in the original language. We all know how much is lost in translation. (For some really wild LotR's tranlation check out Here.)
I then found out that there was Movie(!) of Akira. Too cool. I went to see it and I was really flaberghasted. What the hell is with the Tetsuo blowing up into a huge gross ameba?
Now we have someone that is going to Reinterpret it AGAIN? How will it be changed to be made more accessable? Will Tetsuo Just put a gun to his own head and shoot Akira? That'd make accessable sence. Oh well. I will NOT be in line to see this.

Akira? Pfttt!

[Daimaou]

I know this is blastphemy, but I have seen Akira in dubbed form, subtitled form and in the original Japanese form (yes, I do speak Japanese) and I really don't find it to be the amazing film that everyone else seems to. I think Japan has much better animated films to offer than this one.

I will say that the Japanese version is much better than the other two since translators never can seem to get things quite right; or at least the nuances don't seem to make it through to English to me anyway.

I do agree with other sentiments here though that remaking Akira in a more accessible==dumbed down version is not a good thing.

I don't think that it could be done

[heideggier]

Even with modern computer effects, and a hugh production budget (which this guy wouldn't get) I think that a live action version would be impossible.

Apart, from the opening motorcycle chase, everything in the movie is big, your talking about massive riots (one of the themes of the movies is about society tearing itself apart), a military crackdown, and a climax where one of the leads turns into a hugh bloated mess.

Ofcourse, I thought that bringing lord of the rings to the big screen was impossible as well.

If you, really, want to do a live action manga then your best bet would be that Perfect Blue, being a movies which would work well as a thrillar. Not that I saying they should do that either.

Here's why adaptations get made.

[Fantastic Lad]

There are three reasons film adaptations get made.

1. Because somebody with more than enough creative power to write and produce their own high grade work, gets electrified by another artist's idea to the point that they are willing to pour their own skills into realizing that work in film.

Examples of this are films like Stand by Me and The Bridges of Madison County and The Terminator.

2. When through a purely accountant driven system, a great foriegn film is decided upon as the next studio project. No soul, no creative verve, and nobody except executives salivating to get it made. Point of No Return is a perfect example of such a film.

It should be noted that projects like this, can sometimes turn out well if a powerful creative mind becomes very excited and is given a pivotal role in the film's production, but this rarely happens.

3. When dreamers with only moderate skill or creative talent of their own find themselves in positions of power, and get electrified by a brilliant artist's vision, and set out to realize that vision in film. --The problem is that such creators usually miss the nuances of a work and provide only the surface glitter and an over-amplified approximation of what they were moved by in the original form but did not understand the mechanics of.

These creators are not professional artists so much as they are Fans-boys with budgets. And there are rather a large number of them out there.

Their works include films like, Fellowship of The Rings, and Stargate, which admittedly was not an adaptation, but a wasted idea nonetheless. (The same can be said of any film made by Emmerich and Devlin!), and of course, Blade.

Akira struck me as a very cold film with a lot of neat looking effects and interesting takes on psi-power, but which ultimately had no heart and virtually nothing significant to say at all.

Unfortunately, while there is a handful of rather amazing exceptions, this could describe nearly all of the media which comes out of Japan. A very 'obedient' nation which spends a great deal of energy actively punishing anybody who dares express their individuality, and anybody who comes up with anything even remotely resembling a new idea. Careful shadings of old ideas are all that are acceptable. --According to a few friends who moved away as soon as they were old enough, I am assured that Japan was NOT a fun place to grow up.

-Fantastic Lad

Derivitive works and Plot

[fermion]

First, any art of sufficient quality will only grow stronger in the face of imitation and adaptation. Slashdot, being a free speech, and sometimes free bear community, should be excited about the adaptation of this fine work. It will expose many people to the existence of this work with the possibility that some may find time to appreciate the predecessor. Additionally, bad derivatives do not adversely affect the quality of the predecessor. Not even Leonardo DiCaprio can tarnish the work of Shakespeare or Tchaicovsky. Remember that it is only fitting to act like a pompous artist if one is in fact a pompous artist.

Second, someone complained about plot. Akira may or may not have a simple plot. It doesn't really mater. Complaining about plot is like complaining that poetry doesn't rhyme; it indicates a lack of sophistication. Any sufficiently advance piece of art is going to have several perspectives, and the plot one takes away will depend on one's perspective. For instance, In The Bedroom might be a film about the failing of children, the unfairness of the legal system, or the tragedy of love. If one cannot find a relevant issue, the movie will not have an accessible plot. BTW, man coming out retirement to save world, man killing many people, man saves world, is not a plot of any consequence.

As we all know, IP must (eventually) be free, and we must have the freedom to advance that IP, even if such advancement seems silly. Peace Out.

Oh yes i remember that

[Edmund Blackadder]

That adaptation was pretty damn terrible. the silliest thing is that someone actually believed that La Femme Nikita was not accessible to american audiences.

The cultural rift between the US and France is not that great you know.

Wait and See, and Then Act

[LightForce3]

Well, this is certainly interesting. I'm not too terribly concerned about it right now, because I know how great Otomo's Akira is. (It was great for me, anyway. If you don't like it, that's fine with me.)

I propose that we wait and see. When the remake is released, one of two major scenarios will occur:

~Scenario I~

John Doe, American TV-Watcher: "That movie was good/great/awesome/cool/etc."

Bob Smith, Otaku: "Since you liked that, why not see the original? If you have any questions about it, I'd be happy to answer them."

~Scenario II~

John Doe: "That movie sucked/was horrible/etc."

Bob Smith: "Yeah, the adaptation was badly done. You might like the original better. If you have any questions, just let me know."

You see, whether the adaptation turns out to be good or bad is less important than what we, the anime-experienced, do to introduce the viewers to the original Akira. The adaptation can be a portal, an introduction to anime for those who don't know about it, or whose knowledge consists of what anime they see on American television (which, if you think about it, is all adapted in some form before it reaches the networks/cable).

goa or psy trance remixes ...

[afxgrin]

goa or psy trance remixes with the original AKIRA music would be killer in my opinion. I swear I heard a track at a record shop being played that had part of the first motorcycle scene's music looped in it.

or maybe i should just lay off the illegal subs*cough*.......