bishopcruz Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 We've discussed some of these before in other threads, but I figured that a general thread would be a good idea. Anyhoo, adaptations of popular anime and manga have been coming out for years in East Asia with varying levels of success. But recently we have seen a marked increase of these properties getting adapted as major Hollywood films. We've already had Speed Racer, and now Dragon Ball is set to release in a couple of weeks. The ones that we know about are: Cowboy Bebop: Script is in early stages, Keanu Reeve's excitement for the project is apparently what got it off the ground. Robotech: Toby McGuire helped get this on off the ground, nothing much has been heard about the script or designs. Evangelion: Apparently off of hiatus now. According to ADV, which has raised $120 million to fund the film, the studios are currently fighting for the rights to it. Akira: Script done, moving towards a 2011 release. Ghost in the Shell: Stephen Spielberg is foaming at the mouth to produce this one apparently. Oldboy: Will Smith and Spielburg are also itching to get this one done, reportedly and adaptation of the manga, and not the Korean Film. Battle Angel: Cameron has sure as hell taken his time on this one, but it does seem that after Avatar, this will be his next film. Production design has been going on for years, and the film seems ready to begin production once Cameron's current movie is finally done, y'know, in like 2045 or some shit. And speaking of Avatar... Avatar: The Last Airbender: Casting is almost complete on this one, Zuko was cast as the kid from Slumdog millionaire. M. Night Shalamyanawannadino is direction. We also have 2 CG movies coming here: Astro Boy and the one I'm psyched for GATCHAMAN! Astro Boy hits this year, and Gatchaman got pushed back to 2010. Imagi, the studio that did the TMNT CG is doing both. Let's also not forget that you can get some good stuff out of Japan as well (Lone Wolf and Cub, I'm looking at you), we have two major ones coming: Blood: The Last Vampire: Kamui (known here as Dagger of Kamui or Blade of Kamui) and Takashi Miike's latest work: Yatterman! Anything I'm missing? Any films that you think would/would not make a good transition to film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortiis558 Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Since they are never going to finish the anime why not make a Berserk trilogy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Since they are never going to finish the anime why not make a Berserk trilogy? I just jizzed in my pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 fuck no. no studio i can think of's got the balls to do a live-action Berserk and be faithful to the manga, the shit's just too dark. i cant see it. again though, i rarely think these things lend themselves well, so i dont really get excited about any of these properties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopcruz Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 I dunno, I think that Akira can lend itself quite well to a live action movie. You'd need a badass art director, but while it was pretty much impossible to do Akira right 20 years ago, it's totally possible now. Ghost in the Shell can work well too, and Kenshin, Battle Angel also. In fact most of these are generally the more grounded series, an are less ridiculously fantastical. Hence I think they might have a good chance at live action. With the right team of course. Dragonball, probably harder to do, as it's just over the top on all levels, and its style is about as far away from live action as you can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 i think you're right about Akira (at this point) but its funny, i got to thinking about that after seeing newt's Blade Runner blu-ray. GITS perhaps too, again i just think its cramping too much into a few hours but that was my knock on the original OAV anyway. Kenshin, though? really? as a movie? would you just go right into the Kyoto arc, or...? also, for some of these, in the art direction you're calling for - im curious how out there/surreal you're talking, as what i saw of Speed Racer was pretty interesting. ps curious to see your take on Berserk here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Agreed about GitS and Battle Angel. I don't wanna kill another "adaptations"-ish thread with a long string of nonsense, so I'll start out slow. (Maybe "kill" is an exaggeration, but I certainly maimed it.) Howzabout Tri-Gun? Done in a western style, natch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Tri-gun could be fun, but you guys are talking turning series into a 2 hour ameican film, yeah? as long as Tri-guns ending is changed up, im down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortiis558 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Berserk could be done with all the darkness involved. They would HAVE to tone down the violence a little but you could get away with more than 300 had and still keep the feel the manga has. What I would be most concerned about is when they are all being sacrificed, I think that would just spook too many people on too many different levels, plus if that is where you ended a movie I could see a lot of people who haven't read the manga just giving up expecting more of that in the next films. But I think that the whole hollywood trend of adding love stories and drama would actually fit well with berserk. Don't make it out to be a fantasy action movie but instead market it more as a very dark love story. There is plenty people could get with in the manga, if they looked past the stigma of it being a "cartoon" and overly gory. It has it's good guy turned villian, romantic scenes and plots involving many different characters and love interests, and a lot of well flesh-out characters that wouldn't need hours of backstory to understand. They could cast Orlando Bloom as Griffith (rofl) and Halle Berry as Casca. Maybe do Tony Jaa as Gatsu (Guts), but he would have to learn how to speak english pretty well to pull it off. GiTS would be another one that would be good, IF, they didn't follow the manga too closely and had Shirow write a story that takes place sometime within the first season. Also I think that some ecchi manga would be good as generic action/adventure films. Big tittied women kickin ass, just what america loves. Ikkitousen (Battle Vixens) and Tenjou Tenge come to mind. Kenshin would be good but I think that one would be lost on most of the movie going public. But while were going that direction what about a live action Ninja Scroll? Or maybe a kids movie taken from One Piece. They have what 300+ episodes to draw from, and kids wouldn't care if the backstory is filled out, or everything explained. Though the chef guy couldn't smoke because it's a known fact that kids will start smoking if they see a movie star do it. Agreed about GitS and Battle Angel.I don't wanna kill another "adaptations"-ish thread with a long string of nonsense, so I'll start out slow. (Maybe "kill" is an exaggeration, but I certainly maimed it.)Howzabout Tri-Gun? Done in a western style, natch. Tri-gun would another good one too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Oruchuban Ebichu: The Housekeeping Hamster. Done like Underdog (actual animal), not Alvin & the Chipmunks (weird CG creatures). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortiis558 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Oruchuban Ebichu: The Housekeeping Hamster. Done like Underdog (actual animal), not Alvin & the Chipmunks (weird CG creatures). lol...a porno spoof kinda like Orgazmo but with actual sex scenes (sorta, no pentration shots but titties would be a must)...that would be the greatest thing since the anime. Or it could be a romantic comedy Imagine where the one guy is thinking about Ebuchi while having sex with his g/f...a little thought bubble pops up with a life-life CG ebichu waving her ass and he gets off, that'd be a classic scene right there. They could even incoporate in ebichu runnin a pizza shop as her "job" and do the Ebichu-man skits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 lol...a porno spoof kinda like Orgazmo but with actual sex scenes (sorta, no pentration shots but titties would be a must)...that would be the greatest thing since the anime. Or it could be a romantic comedy Imagine where the one guy is thinking about Ebuchi while having sex with his g/f...a little thought bubble pops up with a life-life CG ebichu waving her ass and he gets off, that'd be a classic scene right there. They could even incoporate in ebichu runnin a pizza shop as her "job" and do the Ebichu-man skits. It would be one of the most hauntingly disturbing movies ever made. That's one reason I would insist on a real hamster, I wanna see it shake its sexy little manko. and Takashi Miike's latest work: Yatterman! I'm gonna be all over that movie. I'm not familiar with Yatterman, but me and Miike have a sordid past and he gets the benefit of the doubt from me everytime. Yeah...I've been let down a few times, but the potential payoff is worth taking the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Eh. im trying to think of times these things went well, and im drawing, uh, Storm Riders and what i watched of Casshern. Mortis - how far into Berserk have you seen/read? even the anime had to cut down of some of Guts' horrendous upbringing, and the ending could simply not be done as even a hard R rating, man. extreme violence & sexuality (and the balls-out mix of the two in hell)...and this is before later chapters with the apostles & such. i wish i shared your optimism, but no, im saying it cant be done in a major motion picture, unless you focus on a smaller arc that ends better, which is only very early on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruca Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We've discussed some of these before in other threads, but I figured that a general thread would be a good idea. Anyhoo, adaptations of popular anime and manga have been coming out for years in East Asia with varying levels of success. But recently we have seen a marked increase of these properties getting adapted as major Hollywood films. We've already had Speed Racer, and now Dragon Ball is set to release in a couple of weeks. The ones that we know about are: Cowboy Bebop: Script is in early stages, Keanu Reeve's excitement for the project is apparently what got it off the ground. Robotech: Toby McGuire helped get this on off the ground, nothing much has been heard about the script or designs. Evangelion: Apparently off of hiatus now. According to ADV, which has raised $120 million to fund the film, the studios are currently fighting for the rights to it. Akira: Script done, moving towards a 2011 release. Ghost in the Shell: Stephen Spielberg is foaming at the mouth to produce this one apparently. Oldboy: Will Smith and Spielburg are also itching to get this one done, reportedly and adaptation of the manga, and not the Korean Film. Battle Angel: Cameron has sure as hell taken his time on this one, but it does seem that after Avatar, this will be his next film. Production design has been going on for years, and the film seems ready to begin production once Cameron's current movie is finally done, y'know, in like 2045 or some shit. And speaking of Avatar... Avatar: The Last Airbender: Casting is almost complete on this one, Zuko was cast as the kid from Slumdog millionaire. M. Night Shalamyanawannadino is direction. We also have 2 CG movies coming here: Astro Boy <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shz79sHoXs8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shz79sHoXs8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shz79sHoXs8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> and the one I'm psyched for GATCHAMAN! <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> Astro Boy hits this year, and Gatchaman got pushed back to 2010. Imagi, the studio that did the TMNT CG is doing both. Let's also not forget that you can get some good stuff out of Japan as well (Lone Wolf and Cub, I'm looking at you), we have two major ones coming: Blood: The Last Vampire: <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> Kamui (known here as Dagger of Kamui or Blade of Kamui) <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co__-OMJorY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co__-OMJorY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co__-OMJorY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> and Takashi Miike's latest work: <object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEfy3Kb_es&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEfy3Kb_es&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEfy3Kb_es&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> Yatterman! Anything I'm missing? Any films that you think would/would not make a good transition to film? Cowboy Bebop+ Keanu Reeve= equals the death of me. I think he's a horrible actor, he's not dynamic enough to play anything in cowboy bebop he needs to stick to goofy characters like Bill and Ted or estranged monotone characters to match his equally monotone acting abilities..... Other wise I'm excited to see most of these movies I just have to expect to see a decent movie and not actually expect them to do any of these shows justice. like whats' happened to most of the Marvel movies...where they are entertaining as movies on their own but they butcher the original context to make it their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90sKid Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 At least Keany Reeves looks A LOT like Spike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtype Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Cowboy Bebop+ Keanu Reeve= equals the death of me. I think he's a horrible actor, he's not dynamic enough to play anything in cowboy bebop he needs to stick to goofy characters like Bill and Ted or estranged monotone characters to match his equally monotone acting abilities..... Other wise I'm excited to see most of these movies I just have to expect to see a decent movie and not actually expect them to do any of these shows justice. like whats' happened to most of the Marvel movies...where they are entertaining as movies on their own but they butcher the original context to make it their own. Don't know you but I like you already. I'm not looking forward to how they plan on bastardizing Akria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsmithx Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Other wise I'm excited to see most of these movies I just have to expect to see a decent movie and not actually expect them to do any of these shows justice. like whats' happened to most of the Marvel movies...where they are entertaining as movies on their own but they butcher the original context to make it their own. I disagree with this here depending on what you mean, if you mean marvel to include things like spider man and xmen and such then yah, but if you mean marvel studios which is just Iron man and Hulk then I disagree, both of those were fun fun movies with casts that mostly felt the part(liv taylor was meh) that mostly stuck to both the spirt of the comics and did them justice in the same way batman begins did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_U_SPACECOWBOY Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I wake up every night in a pool of sweat at the thought of that live action bebop movie. The only glimmer of hope I have is, last I heard, Shinichiro Watanabe was going to be executive producer. I'd love to see it done right, as my namesake denotes, I'm a big Bebop fan, and hopefully with Watanabe-san's involvement in will become something that honors and adds to the anime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopcruz Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 I wake up every night in a pool of sweat at the thought of that live action bebop movie. The only glimmer of hope I have is, last I heard, Shinichiro Watanabe was going to be executive producer. I'd love to see it done right, as my namesake denotes, I'm a big Bebop fan, and hopefully with Watanabe-san's involvement in will become something that honors and adds to the anime. Well, Bebop could make a pretty kickass film. Especially if you stick to the Spike/Vicious stuff, which when taken on its own, is basically a Hong Kong action movie anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtype Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Anime fans dreading the rapacious assault of Hollywood upon the classic anime now in their crosshairs can breathe a sigh of relief with the news that the live action adaptation of classic science fiction tentacle anime Akira is “dead as a doornail.” The new movie, to have been produced by some of the usual suspects, Leonardio DiCaprio’s Appian Way and Warner Brothers, was to have been split in two parts by a green director nobody has ever heard of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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