Sci-Fi WB creating live-action Akira - Part 1

[Filmfreak]

Of course. In Hollywood whether the setting is ancient Egypt or a far away alien planet it's always going to be English. That's why I really appreciate Mel Gibson as a director, because he basically made two movies where they were only speaking dead languages. But of course they are exceptions to the grand rule and not blockbuster movies.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Never underestimate the power of Jesus + a dead language = 600M+ box office.

 

[Teelie]

Outside of one movie, name another movie set in an entirely different language that can be qualified as a success in the United States. That other Mel Gibson movie set in South America I don't think was a success either.

This is why Akira or any other movie is going to be in English. Either originally spoken or dubbed in. Hate it all you like. It's just how it is. People are generally fine with a few characters or scenes in a foreign language but not an entire movie.

English is the native language of the country and making a movie in the U.S. in another language and expecting it to be a success is unrealistic. Even if it were Spanish it is unlikely to reach a blockbuster level.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Outside of one movie, name another movie set in an entirely different language that can be qualified as a success in the United States. That other Mel Gibson movie set in South America I don't think was a success either.

Other than Passion of the Christ, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a big success in North America circa 2000 with 128M.

 

[Filmfreak]

English is the native language of the country and making a movie in the U.S. in another language and expecting it to be a success is unrealistic.

Acknowledge something as an issue and expecting it to change any time soon are two vastly different things.

 

[The Endless]

If Waititi proves me wrong so be it. I just don't think you can pull off Akira and make it work, especially for a mainstream audience that's addicted to Twitter, mobile devices, tablets, and social media.

Look, Blade Runner 2050, a slower, longer more deliberate, cerebral big budget sci-fi movie basically bombed.

Difference is AKIRA lends itself to stunningly spectacular visuals and action sequences. Has the whole "superpowers" thing going for it etc.

Blade Runner 2049 was ultimately, a small scale sci-fi noir. With a 200 million dollar budget and was nearly 3 hours long. It was always going to bomb.

 

[Teelie]

Other than Passion of the Christ, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a big success in North America circa 2000 with 128M.

Wasn't Crouching Tiger dubbed though? I only vaguely remember seeing it on DVD.

 

[TheVileOne]

Difference is AKIRA lends itself to stunningly spectacular visuals and action sequences. Has the whole "superpowers" thing going for it etc.

Blade Runner 2049 was ultimately, a small scale sci-fi noir. With a 200 million dollar budget and was nearly 3 hours long. It was always going to bomb.

Except Blade Runner itself basically pioneered and invented cyberpunk dystopia for the big screen.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Wasn't Crouching Tiger dubbed though? I only vaguely remember seeing it on DVD.

It was definitely subtitled when I saw it back then.

 

[terry78]

There's always exceptions to the rule when it comes to subtitles though

 

[TheVileOne]

Difference is AKIRA lends itself to stunningly spectacular visuals and action sequences. Has the whole "superpowers" thing going for it etc.

Blade Runner 2049 was ultimately, a small scale sci-fi noir. With a 200 million dollar budget and was nearly 3 hours long. It was always going to bomb.

Also here's another thing. Akira wouldn't be cheap either. It's going to be a costly financial risk.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Nah I feel pretty confident that you don't need to blow the budget on Akira if recent examples like Aquaman are anything to go on.

 

[Filmfreak]

Aquaman had a bigger budget than the Blade Runner sequel, though.

 

[Da-Scribe]

I’m looking at the budget relative to the genre. Akira is an action adventure where Blade Runner is a slow burn thriller. The budget makes more sense for Akira in that sense.

 

[Filmfreak]

Fair enough.

In terms of box office I'm not sure how this one will do. Sci-fi movies that aren't superhero or Star Wars related tend to flop. You can look at the Star Trek films or Mad Max as movies with action that didn't do well at all. And anime/manga adaptations are even worse.

But the super-powered theme could potentially help the movie like mentioned above. So we shall see.

 

[TheVileOne]

I’m looking at the budget relative to the genre. Akira is an action adventure where Blade Runner is a slow burn thriller. The budget makes more sense for Akira in that sense.

I question how well you really know Akira to make this statement.

 

[Da-Scribe]

I question how well you really know Akira to make this statement.

And that matters to me...why?

 

[TheVileOne]

Akira is not really some type of traditional straight action-adventure movie. It's not Aquaman in futuristic Tokyo, Japan.

 

[Da-Scribe]

Akira is not really some type of traditional straight action-adventure movie. It's not Aquaman in futuristic Tokyo, Japan.

I never said it was. I’ve said there are surface level details that audiences will find appealing. Teenage biker gang, superpowers, bright neon colors. These things lend themselves to an action adventure romp and make the more bizarre aspects digestible. And I brought up Aquaman because it was able to build an expansive world on a cheap budget for its genre.

 

[The Endless]

Except Blade Runner itself basically pioneered and invented cyberpunk dystopia for the big screen.

Well yea. That's true. Blade Runner is a seminal sci-fi masterpiece... but it still bombed. It's still only a cult movie, despite its influence. It always seemed strange to me that 2049 got this huge blockbuster budget, and people seemed surprised when it also bombed.

AKIRA being set in a cyberpunk dystopian future is where the similarities end. It has a lot more potential to be a "crowd pleaser" compared to Blade Runner.

 

[OutOfBoose]

Despite being action-packed and visually impressive, Akira is as weird, violent and bleak as Mad Max, probably even more so. And Mad Max never earned a lot of money, despite the cult status, high quality and influence.

I want them to do a top quality adaptation, but I wouldn't hold my breath about box office potential.

 

[MadVillainy]

Who cares about box office if the movie is good? I'm not saying it will be good. It's not like this is a series that needs to go on and on. Using the Blade Runner 2049 didn't do gangbusters. But it told a complete story and was a great movie that people enjoy. People are getting way to obsessed with how much a movie makes. And it also seems like people are pivoting and arguing 2 separate things to try and make their point. If Akira is a huge success it's not going to radically change Hollywood, just like with all the anime adaptations before flopping, that hasn't stopped people from trying.

And how in the world are we saying that Aquman was "cheap." Maybe compared to Avengers, but according to sources it cost anywhere between $160-200M. That's not cheap even within the SH genre.

And the whole "I just don't think you can pull off Akira and make it work, especially for a mainstream audience that's addicted to Twitter, mobile devices, tablets, and social media." is really silly. The whining about social media has no point in this convo.

I'm skeptical about this being good or making money, but some of the points in here are just weird. @Da-Scribe and @The Endless are making some good points though. Akira, on the surface has more mainstream appeal with biker gangs, etc.
I've been saying that for years every time someone said AKira doesn't work in America because it's a "Japanese" story

 

[terry78]

Ironically a lot of their stuff gets influenced by us tho.

 

[OutOfBoose]

I don't know who cares. But it's a regular topic in every thread.

Some people just wonder what the suits think when they bet large sums on stuff like Akira, Ghost in the Shell and other too weird or high brow material. People bring money to dumb **** like Star Wars, Aquaman, Jurassic Park, Fast and Furious, live action remakes and whatever else mediocrity they puke out every couple of months.

 

[The Endless]

I'd rather they go all out, stay faithful to the source... and it bombs.

Blackman is right. We're not looking at a potential franchise starter here. It's a one and done deal, like 2049.

Yea, AKIRA has some weird thematics going on. But if they adapt some more crazy stuff from the Manga, like Tetsuo "speed blitzing" the military and telekinetically blowing up half the Moon... man, general movie goers will eat that **** up.