Lionsgate and Avi Arad's Naruto

[Kahran Ramsus]

Western adaptations of anime need a similar maturity, and no singular talent can make it happen. No singular talent will be able to, no matter how passionate and skilled, create a bankable star that can play Naruto, nor will they be able to single handedly figure out how to take all the glory of Naruto and do it on a 75M budget.

I'd love to be proved wrong, but there's just hurdles here that don't apply to YA or superhero films.

Now, all that said, this is mostly about Shonen Anime. There's absolutely nothing stopping an adaptation of Fruits Basket or even Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya from being just as awesome on the kind of budgets people are likely to recoup from anime adaptations.

It is particularly true for battle shounens. Budget is a major issue when so much of the series is dependent on large, elaborate fights. Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, etc. can't be done on the cheap. Done properly all of them would need budgets of 200 million+.

 

[2kt09]

It is particularly true for battle shounens. Budget is a major issue when so much of the series is dependent on large, elaborate fights. Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, etc. can't be done on the cheap. Done properly all of them would need budgets of 200 million+.

Another thing going for those types of battle shounens is the genre mixing > almost any other. Plus, most of our genre films aren't exactly driven by characters who spout, "I wanna be the very best..." That's usually reserved for sports flicks or the occasional rags to riches drama.

 

[DrCosmic]

It is particularly true for battle shounens. Budget is a major issue when so much of the series is dependent on large, elaborate fights. Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, etc. can't be done on the cheap. Done properly all of them would need budgets of 200 million+.

Exactly. You can almost pick out the anime that can be done on mid-size budgets. Ruroni Kenshin would be awesome. Kuroko no Basket and other sports-type anime would be awesome, and some of the more grounded fighting, like Dragonball without the Z or History's Greatest Disciple could be a TON of fun. Death Note was a great call. I've also started getting into Sword Art Online finally, and that could not only be a great anime to adapt, with a bit of a stretch, but also could be one that more easily handles race and name changes to accommodate Western actors.

Which is really the major barrier here, the more I think about it. You can't adapt most anime with non-Asians without consequences of the appropriation and unfaithfulness, and you can't/don't have bankable Asian stars in the West. So... it's a lose lose for Naruto, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Dragonball and so on and so on.

 

[terry78]

The only ones they can really do are the giant mechas and probably Attack on Titan which I'm sure they're chomping at the bit to make.

 

[TheVileOne]

Rurouni Kenshin has been done in live action by the Japanese. It wouldn't translate to Hollywood though.

 

[Lily Adler]

Anime and Hollywood NEVER mixes well. There's my hyperbole for the day.

 

[Neno_Kos]

Anime and Hollywood NEVER mixes well. There's my hyperbole for the day.

Hoping for Battle Angel Alita to prove me wrong.

 

[DeadPresident]

This sounds like an absolute cluster**** in the making.

 

[sweetre15]

Here’s what Gracey had to say regarding the status of Naruto:

“I don’t know [if it will be my next film], to be honest. You know Kishimoto, who created the original series, he’s just a genius. So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right, and for me what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it. Because no one knows the world better than the person who created it.

I think it’s safe to say that if Kishimoto isn’t on board, and Gracey doesn’t feel strongly about the script, it should stay in development. Gracey continued:

“So for me, as it stands, we’re still working on the script. Because until that script is at a level that I’m excited about, I have no interest in destroying an amazing franchise, as has happened before. But I think the great thing is that everyone involved, from Lionsgate to the producers, are all of the same mind. Everyone knows how precious this property is and to me it’s incredibly exciting, and I love the work that I’ve gotten to do on it to date. At this stage, no one is going to go into production until we’ve got a script that excites everyone. So whether it’s my next one or not, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see.”

http://collider.com/naruto-movie-details-michael-gracey/#masashi-kishimoto

 

[Silvermoth]

MSN

• Tasha Huo, known for her experience in navigating lore-based adaptations, has been tapped as the screenwriter for Lionsgate's live-action Naruto film, showing promising progress for the long-awaited adaptation.

 

[TheVileOne]

Not the most promising name. She worked on The Witcher: Blood Origin.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[samsnee]

We’re never getting Shang-Chi 2

 

[Lily Adler]

We’re never getting Shang-Chi 2

I'll nuke the section then.

 

[Drunken Rider]

Since when Avi Arad give a rat's behind about Naruto?

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

I pick Bill Skarsgård for Orochimaru.

 

[Lily Adler]

I pick Bill Skarsgård for Orochimaru.

He certainly has the tongue for it:

 

[Silvermoth]

Who’s going to be Naruto’s Madame Web?

 

[Lily Adler]

Who’s going to be Naruto’s Madame Web?

Someone hands Naruto a ramen cup and he just plays with it and never eats from it?