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Live-action Akira adaptation to get yet another script rewrite

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K

kris.

Banned
Searched around, couldn't find anything already posted.
via ScreenRant

Akira-Motorcycle.jpg


A live-action American adaptation of the hugely influential anime Akira has proven to be a difficult project to get off the ground. Warner Bros. originally acquired the rights back in 2008 and were looking to produce the film quickly alongside Leonardo Dicaprio’s Appain Way, but less than a year later, it was shut down due to scheduling conflicts. Then, over the course of the next several years, directors like the Hughes Brothers, screenwriters like Gary Whitta, and actors like James Franco, Gary Oldman, Garrett Heldund, Helena Bonham-Carter, Zac Efron, and Keanu Reeves have been attached to the long-gestating project, but nothing has yet materialized. All the while, controversy raged about the film “westernizing the story” by setting it in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan and casting white American or British actors as Japanese characters like Tetsuo and Kaneda.

The latest setback to occur in the endless Akira adaptation saga occurred when Non-Stop and Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra came aboard to helm the movie in early 2014, but once again things moved at a glacial pace as casting negotiations dragged and the director struggled to get the budget down to Warners’ requested $60-70 million. Unfortunately, these issues led to Warner Bros. pulling the plug on Collet-Sera and shutting down Akira‘s Vancouver production facilities yet again.

However, there is now renewed hope that Akira will actually get made, and Warners is looking to the highly successful Netflix series Daredevil for a creative force to take on the challenge.

According to THR, new Daredevil showrunner Marco J. Ramirez is set to write yet another draft of the Akira screenplay for Warner Brothers. Ramirez – who also worked on Sons of Anarchy and DaVinci’s Demons – is taking over showrunning duties on the Marvel Netflix series from previous head honcho Steven S. DeKnight, who is moving on to join the Transformers writing room.
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Sigh.
 
K

Korigama

Member
Then, over the course of the next several years, directors like the Hughes Brothers, screenwriters like Gary Whitta, and actors like James Franco, Gary Oldman, Garrett Heldund, Helena Bonham-Carter, Zac Efron, and Keanu Reeves have been attached to the long-gestating project, but nothing has yet materialized.
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Must have needed a rewrite to include Emma Stone.
 
A

akira28

Member
AlteredBeast said:
Seriously. You cannot do right by this anime or manga. Just stop.,

Nobody is going to be able to change that...
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someone could. someone full of love and vision, and discipline. But hollywood isn't going to be able to do right by this. Even they know it. They're just vultures picking apart ideas from other works of fiction, to remake them in their own image for a quick buck. That's the most sickening part, is how its just a cash thing, not an art thing. Buying a bunch of special effects and hiring pretty boy actors is not going to make an Akira film work.
 
N

Not

Banned
Why not make the main characters 2nd generation Japanese teenagers living in New York?

Because some old suit said so? Blaze a trail. Cut through the classism and racism and prove the status quo WRONG. Kinda like pre-Hunger Games when they still didn't think women could lead action movies (they kinda still don't).
 
G

G-Fex

Member
why do they want to make this happen so much?

Theres a real fucking strange obsession with the studios about this
 
N

Not

Banned
I still kinda want the Snow Crash movie more than this. We haven't heard a peep about that for 3 years.
 
S

SigmasonicX

Member
I feel that the appeal of Akira is far more due to its masterful animation than anything else. The story itself isn't all that great, and no level of computer effects will match what made the animation special. So, even if this is a good adaptation (which it won't be), by its very nature, it can't be as good as the original.
 
S

ShaneDude

Member
Honestly I did feel the story in Akira sucked and was all over the place. The movie is so hyped on the internet that when i finally saw it I was pretty disappointed. Obviously the art and animation is master class though.
 
K

Karl Hawk

Banned
Its Hollywood, its gonna be fucking shit, nobody should expect otherwise.

Then again, I haven't saw Akira, so I dunno what to expect.
I'm still expecting a shit adaptation
 
E

Ezalc

Member
ShaneDude said:
Honestly I did feel the story in Akira sucked and was all over the place. The movie is so hyped on the internet that when i finally saw it I was pretty disappointed. Obviously the art and animation is master class though.
Click to expand...

This is only because the movie isn't a complete adaptation of the manga though.
 
N

Not

Banned
Replicant said:
Isn't Akira mostly sausage-fest? Besides, Garreth Hedlund will look Japanese enough to represent all Pan-Asia.
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garrett-hedlund-picture.jpg


I know it was a joke post, but still. If that's who you cast as "Kaneda" in your movie called "Akira," fuck you. Still no better than John Wayne as Genghis bleedin' Khan.
 
A

akira28

Member
There are a few women in Akira, some of whom play pretty pivotal roles. But the movie adaptation was kind of short. An live action 2 and a half hour special cut could fit everything in, and do it well. But they've already butchered the fuck out of the thing, they're clearly in the dark.
 
T

ThoseDeafMutes

Member
We already got "American Akira" basically with Chronicle. But whatever. I'll wait for reviews (if it ever comes out) before I decide if I want to see this.
 
N

ninjabat

Member
The Deathnote adaptation has a chance at being good. But Akira and Ghost In The Shell fans should not get their hopes up for these live action films.
 
S

Siegcram

Member
ShaneDude said:
Honestly I did feel the story in Akira sucked and was all over the place. The movie is so hyped on the internet that when i finally saw it I was pretty disappointed. Obviously the art and animation is master class though.
Click to expand...
That's exactly why it's hyped. The story was never the selling point, the art and technical prowess is. If you're interested in the story, give the manga a read.

As for this project, just let it die. Nobody needs this shit.
 
E

Einhander

Member
Dragon Ball Evolution should be a lesson to anyone in Hollywood to never, ever make another live-action anime adaptation again. :p
 
K

Korigama

Member
Replicant said:
Isn't Akira mostly sausage-fest? Besides, Garreth Hedlund will look Japanese enough to represent all Pan-Asia.
Click to expand...
This post is a good summary on that.
akira28 said:
There are a few women in Akira, some of whom play pretty pivotal roles. But the movie adaptation was kind of short. An live action 2 and a half hour special cut could fit everything in, and do it well. But they've already butchered the fuck out of the thing, they're clearly in the dark.
Click to expand...
As for other anime adaptations Hollywood wants...
ninjabat said:
The Deathnote adaptation has a chance at being good. But Akira and Ghost In The Shell fans should not get their hopes up for these live action films.
Click to expand...
Death Note might, but it's not like the source material was actually good anyway.
 
N

Nightbird

Member
I finally got around to watch the movie two weeks ago, and to be honest, I really don't think they can make the original any justice without a high budget.
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Warner Bros really needs to just cut their losses and move on.
 
P

Peltz

Member
How could they possibly follow up on Akira with a live adaptation? It's a film that was renowned for its stellar animation that broke new grounds of excellence and arguably hasn't been exceeded in that regard.

A live adaptation would really be clumsy to say the least.
 
B

Busty

Banned
I'm going to fly in the face of public opinion here on GAF and say that if they can get an exciting/interesting director on this I would actually welcome a live action Akira film. Not a popular opinion but, as an old school fan of the animated film who was greatly influenced by it, that's the way I feel.

Given that this is WB and not Rothman's Sony or Paramount perhaps we can give them the tiniest benefit of the doubt that they will do something interesting with this and not some horrible Dragonball style abomination.

Peltz said:
How could they possibly follow up on Akira with a live adaptation? It's a film that was renowned for its stellar animation that broke new grounds of excellence and arguably hasn't been exceeded in that regard.

A live adaptation would really be clumsy to say the least.
Click to expand...

Apparently Warners have, from very early on, intended to adapt the actual Akira graphic novels (which the film is based on) rather than a direct live action remake of the animated film itself.

I am lead to believe that these graphic novels have enough source material for a potential franchise/series of films rather than just stretching out the animated film.
 
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