WB creating live-action Akira

[Catman]

Whatever.

You know I'm right.

 

[Ash J. Williams]

Doesn't matter.

 

[matrix_ghost]

Since we won't get anywhere with just fanboy complaits , let's focus on the movie itself.
It's 2 movies with the first movie being based on the first 3 books. So we can expect that the first movie will end with the awakening of AKIRA whereas the 2nd one will shift the action in destruction created by akira.

Characters will i suspect won't appear and/or won't have very big roles
1 Auntie Chiyoko
For me she was the one character who totally stole the show in the books.
2 Ryu and Nezu may either be completely dropped or their roles will probably reduced. Not that it matters to the story.
3 Kaori
She had a very minor role in the anime but had a really well developed story in the manga. She's actually very important because she's the only one who Tetsuo cares about.
4 Joker and all the other friends of Kaneda


CHARACTERS who definately need to have rather big roles
1 Lady Miyako
2 Takashi , Masaru and Kiyoko


btw the things i wanna see , aside from the massive city destruction , are
1 SOL's destruction and either tetsuo or kei taking down the other sattelite
2 Tetsuo's realisation of what AKIRA really is , altough i doubt they would include this scene in the movie. Shame because it would've been awesome as hell as Tetsuo transcends space and time itself only to fall before his master AKIRA
3 Caretaker robots
4 THE JAW

 

[Ash J. Williams]

What about the clown dudes? You think they're gonna appear?

 

[matrix_ghost]

Definately. The rivalries between the motorcycle gangs is something that appears in both the anime and manga so yeah i think we will definately be seeing some motorcycle action.
Oh wait....i forgot about thé most important thing.

KANEDA's BIKE

 

[Cinemaman]

I have a good feeling about the idea of making a live-action adaptation of this graphic novel.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

I heard it's suppose to be a planned two-parter. Kind of like LOTR was a planned three parter. If they want to make an Akira that sticks closer to the original comics, no matter where they set the story, I'm all for it. Yes, I'd much rather it be set in Japan, with Japanese actors speaking english. That said though, this cast rocks from an acting standpoint, so they could really deliver. If the most I have to deal with is seeing white actors in these roles, I think I can handle it.

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

Why would DiCapprio even consider doing Akira? He isn't the type to do mainstream adventure movies that people will actually watch, he usually picks namby pamby roles.

Titanic doesn't count because that was more of a love story and Leo wasn't a big a star back then.

Blood Diamond was probably his most mainstream thing he did. It was a action adventure thriller. He was pretty badass in it too. Too bad it wasn't popular.

 

[MagicPrime]

Do we get to see giant teddy bears bleeding leaking and crying milk?

(MHO - I'm not a fan of AKIRA, I respect it as a film and appreciate what it did to further the genre. But it really didn't strike a cord for me.)

 

[Hunter Rider]

I haven't seen the anime so this is just a movie to me, I am very interested in it, the premise is cool and the 2 leads are awesome actors.

What sort of action can we expect ? t:

 

[terry78]

Shockingly, Hollywood knows that anime is a goldmine amongst people here in the states, and a lot of them are either public or closet fans of at least one anime.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Blood Diamond was probably his most mainstream thing he did. It was a action adventure thriller. He was pretty badass in it too. Too bad it wasn't popular.

The Departed also made a lot of money and was a badass thriller and far from "namby pamby"

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Shockingly, Hollywood knows that anime is a goldmine amongst people here in the states, and a lot of them are either public or closet fans of at least one anime.

It's hard not to be, really. Animes provide cartoons that go places no American cartoons really dare to go. The death of sympathetic characters, sex, extreme violence, very dramatic character conflict, and even just plain out freaky/wild sh** are commonplace amongst anime.

 

[MagicPrime]

I haven't seen the anime so this is just a movie to me, I am very interested in it, the premise is cool and the 2 leads are awesome actors.

What sort of action can we expect ? t:

The ending of the "Trapper Keeper" episode of South Park was inspired by the end of AKIRA.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

The ending of the "Trapper Keeper" episode of South Park was inspired by the end of AKIRA.

There have been a number of other parodies as well. Basically though the end will be Leo fighting a giant fleshy mass that's expanding and merging uncontrollably with it's surroundings.

Tetsuo also gains pretty funky telekinetic powers. I guess you could sum up the basic premise of his powers as being "what would happen if tk went incredible wrong".

 

[GhostPoet]

they are going to completely americanize it...I just know it. sigh...

 

[MagicPrime]

There are also some little blue kids that strangley enough remind me of the Guardians of the Universe... if they were creepy little kids.

I will admit that Kenada is a badass. And can do a lot with a laser rifle.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

they are going to completely americanize it...I just know it. sigh...

Not so sure that's really a problem anymore. In the eighties that might have been a big deal, but animes like Akira have had such a big impact on American cinema, especially action-adventures, that I doubt in the end that will affect if that much.

 

[GhostPoet]

Not so sure that's really a problem anymore. In the eighties that might have been a big deal, but animes like Akira have had such a big impact on American cinema, especially action-adventures, that I doubt in the end that will affect if that much.

Hope not. What i'm most concerned about is the enviroment. It's what gave the anime such a distinct feel. My fear is that they are going to "clean" things up a little.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Hope not. What i'm most concerned about is the enviroment. It's what gave the anime such a distinct feel. My fear is that they are going to "clean" things up a little.

I don't take your meaning, explain.

 

[GhostPoet]

In the anime it was very gritty and dark. they may clean things up a little to appeal to a wider audience.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

In the anime it was very gritty and dark. they may clean things up a little to appeal to a wider audience.

I doubt it. I mean look at our film history as of late: Batman Begins, The Blade Trilogy, the X-Trilogy, Wolverine, and even Tranformers could certainly be considered dark (compared to it's source). Also Blade Runner has recently come back into fame with it's multiple DVD releases. Top that with the fact that Leo's last two films, The Departed and Blood Diamond were both very dark and gritty, and I don't see anything to worry about.

What concerns me is how far they will dumb it down. Even moreso than comics, animes tend to get stooped in very convoluted and mythology rich storylines, Akira being no exception. Often their is a push by producers to make a film more palletable to those who potentially wouldn't understand it. The era of the concept heavy films like Alien, Terminator and Blade Runner seems to be over at the moment, and very seldom do action films attempt to do a story that works on multiple levels or is philosophical. Not saying Transformers or Blade need to be profoundly deep, but Akira would definitely suffer if they went that route.

 

[Star]

Leonardo DiCaprio seems weird for this....

 

[Cinemaman]

they are going to completely americanize it...I just know it. sigh...

It's US movie, so why wouldn't they invite Hollywood top stars and hire American director to make the film? I still don't understand how it will hurt the movie.

 

[Cinemaman]

I doubt it. I mean look at our film history as of late: Batman Begins, The Blade Trilogy, the X-Trilogy, Wolverine, and even Tranformers could certainly be considered dark (compared to it's source). Also Blade Runner has recently come back into fame with it's multiple DVD releases. Top that with the fact that Leo's last two films, The Departed and Blood Diamond were both very dark and gritty, and I don't see anything to worry about.

What concerns me is how far they will dumb it down. Even moreso than comics, animes tend to get stooped in very convoluted and mythology rich storylines, Akira being no exception. Often their is a push by producers to make a film more palletable to those who potentially wouldn't understand it. The era of the concept heavy films like Alien, Terminator and Blade Runner seems to be over at the moment, and very seldom do action films attempt to do a story that works on multiple levels or is philosophical. Not saying Transformers or Blade need to be profoundly deep, but Akira would definitely suffer if they went that route.

Although Katsuhiro Ōtomo takes part in the new project as a co-producer and story cordinator, it still can't be guarantee that they'll keep everything faithful to the original source. It's still an adaptation (even if they are going with two films), so it doesn't mean the movie should be 100% like a graphic novel. There must be changes, but they should make sense to be there.