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Live-Action Remake of Akira
GusherJizmac writes "Looks like Warner Bros. is looking to remake classic anime, Akira, as a live
action feature-length film. Will current computer generated special effects be enough to bring this masterpiece to life?" We touched on this earlier, but now it looks closer to production, since Norrington has finished shooting for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Agreed. Anyone catch the live action version of Fist of the North Star that came out a few years back? Ugh. Didn't even come close to catching the feeling of the original.
Enough said.
Then you will understand Akira.
Actually, the "League" comic book is a pretty good concept by Alan Moore (Writer of "Watchmen" - arguably one of the best comic books - and the "From Hell" comic books).
It's one of those indepth comic books and draws various literary characters from the Victorian-era. I mean, someone has even posted a panel-by-panel annotation for it. The second series has a martian invasion of earth similar to War of the Worlds.
So we really want this guy to do Akira? I don't know. But that doesn't mean you should dismiss the "League" concept so quickly.
Final thoughts.... Hopefully The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen won't be butchered like the "From Hell" movie. Hmm... IIRC, Sean Connery is going to be Allan Quartermain.
Akira was written by one guy, Katsuhiro Otomo. The Bible was written by committee. Which do you think is going to be more complex?
I think it's interesting that you mention the manga though, because the anime was made before the manga had ended. Otomo himself didn't know all the turns it was going to make to get to the end, but he obviously had some idea or else the manga and the anime wouldn't have ended in such a similar fasion. The anime unfortunately skipped out on all the post-apocalyptic style stuff in the latter half of the manga, but the basic themes remained intact. It's not like the anime was Starship Troopers or something.
If this guy wants to copy the anime, he won't be starting far from the mark of the manga. He'll leave out Akira's Empire and whatnot, but he could still capture the essence of the story without it.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
A "more modern" soundtrack???
Who gives a toss about that??? If they make a live action soundtrack, then they should just use the OLD soundtrack, remastered and perhaps remixed a little - the original soundtrack is absolutly *AWESOME* - I have it on CD, and is one of my most favorite parts of the movie.
If they do a live action, without that original soundtrack, and instead put some cheesy pop/rock/nu-metal coz its cool soundtrack to it, that will further degrade the whole thing.
Akira would *not* have been as great as it is, without that soundtrack...
screw norrington.
shinya tsukamoto. his past credits include tetsuo: the iron man, tetsuo II: body hammer, tokyo fist, bullet ballet, gemini, and a few others.
for those who aren't familiar with him, i highly suggest you go rent "tetsuo". come back, and you'll see why he would be the *perfect* choice for this.
those who are familiar with his work, just think about it. it's already obvious that he knows how to handle bizarre, intense characters. his somewhat post-apocalyptic/industrial future is well presented in both "tetsuo" films, and his imagination could really bring otomo's vision of neo-tokyo to life in ways that this norrington hack could never even dream.
also, while it may seem like stereotyping, he is japanese, which helps to provide a certain insight into japanese technology/culture that most westerners simply don't have. a heavy underlying theme in "akira", imo, dealt with the advancement and decline of technology and the consequences of letting technology rule our lives. as "akira" is set in a fictitious, futuristic tokyo, his experience as a citizen of japan can only be beneficial in the long run, particularly if otomo himself is contributing to the project.
also, to the person who mentioned that norrington worked on "blade", i hardly thing that's a good basis for comparison. while i liked that movie, i don't think i would ever refer to it as a "deep" film. the focus of it was simply action, plain and simple. while "akira" has plenty of it, it wasn't just random acts of violence, nor was the story, for all intents and purposes, entirely driven by those scenes. the whole reason the film is considered to be such a masterpiece and a classic is the story. unfortunately for norrington, he doesn't have the credentials to really give me any kind of confidence that he could pull it off without doing the story a serious injustice.
What is it about US that makes you have to redo ALL good movies??
Why turn the amazing movie nattevagten into the mediocre movie Nightwatch?
Why turn Ringu into Ring?
Why turn Riget into Kingdom hospital?
Why turn Nikita into Point of no return?
In all cases, great movies which have been taken up by American production companies and remade into rather mediocre movies.
I must admit I don't know what causes this urge to remake stuff instead of just subtitling it. Anyone care to enlighten me?? Does the audience actually want these remakes or is there an (ignored) urge among people to see the originals?
-- Henrik