WB nabs rights to 'Ninja Scroll'

[Ziggyman]

Heh...Cool...I have this on VHS!

 

[3dman27]

Dead on arrival or Dead or Alive?

the former i think

 

[DorkyFresh]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-06/paper/dicaprio-considers-smap-for-ninja-scroll-film




The Nikkan Sports newspaper reports that Hollywood figure Leonardo DiCaprio is considering casting Japan's SMAP entertainment group as the main leads in Warner Brothers and Appian Way's proposed live-action adaptation of the Ninja Scroll anime. Yoshiaki Kawajiri wrote and directed the original 1993 anime about a wandering ninja fighting a conspiracy of demons. Appian Way is DiCaprio's production company which acquired the rights to the anime last year. In addition to performing a string of hit singles, the five members of SMAP — Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori — have acted in many films based on manga and anime. However, they have not acted together in the same film since 1994's Shoot.

According to Nikkan Sports, casting is in progress with DiCaprio's expressed intention to "cast with Japanese people." In November, DiCaprio told MTV's Splash Page that he is producing both this project and the proposed live-action adaptation of the Akira anime for Warner and Appian Way, but emphasized that he does "not really" have any interest in acting in them. In the same interview he professed to be a big fan of both Akira and Ninja Scroll, and added, "I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we're going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we're not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape."

At a SMAP event at the end of last year, Nakai said, "I want to do a movie with [all the members of] SMAP." SMAP's agency told Nikkan Sports, "We have no official comment, but if this comes to fruition, we would certainly want to consider it strongly."

Image © 1993 Yoshiaki Kawajiri/Mad House/JVC/TOHO Co. LTD/MOVIC Inc.

Update: Kimura starred as the title character in Howl's Moving Castle, and he also played Memerink in Trinity Blood. Kusanagi played Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank anime movie and Kouichi in Hime-chan's Ribbon. He is also starring in the Yume o Kanaeru Zō television anime and is slated to star in a live-action historical romance loosely based on the plot of the Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Appare! Sengoku Daikassen film. Inagaki played the Kamen Rider G lead in the live-action special of the same name and Dr. Ratchet in the One Piece: Karakuri Shiro no Mecha Kyohei film. Katori famously played Riiya the kid werewolf in Akazukin Cha Cha, Hattori-kun in the live-action Ninja Hattori Kun The Movie, and Haoumaru in Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture.

As a group, SMAP, performed four theme songs for Hime-chan's Ribbon and the "Kimi iro Omoi" opening theme for Akazukin Cha Cha. The five members also acted in the animated and live-action Gatchaman 2000 commercials for NTT East ISDN.








to me, this is GREAT news.

 

[terry78]

Big Leo keeping it real.

 

[batman44]

great news.

 

[FCEEVIPER]

WB nabs rights to 'Ninja Scroll'.

Awesome news!

 

[Rishi]

Cool, I've been waiting for a good hollywood action movie.

 

[Raiden]

the former i think

If this turns out to be Dead Or Alive, it will just become Dead On Arrival anyway.

 

[Figs]

That's great news!

I'm so happy this didn't get picked up by Fox.

Only problem I have with a live action film, most of the sexual scenes are most likely going to be written out.

 

[The Major]

Make it R. Keep the nudity, please. Get Snyder to direct it.

 

[Rob Lobo]

SMAP!!! This is AWESOME!!!

 

[mclay18]

Make it R. Keep the nudity, please. Get Snyder to direct it.

Oooh, that's a really good idea. But keep Tyler Bates out of it -- I'd really miss that cool percussion effects present in the anime's score.

And we don't necessarily have to have a Japanese entertainment group to play the main characters, just get some solid Japanese actors instead.

 

[Darkness Falls]

loved the anime

 

[Octoberist]

i love that WB and Leo are being ballsy and making it with Japanese actors

 

[matrix_ghost]

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-06/paper/dicaprio-considers-smap-for-ninja-scroll-film




The Nikkan Sports newspaper reports that Hollywood figure Leonardo DiCaprio is considering casting Japan's SMAP entertainment group as the main leads in Warner Brothers and Appian Way's proposed live-action adaptation of the Ninja Scroll anime. Yoshiaki Kawajiri wrote and directed the original 1993 anime about a wandering ninja fighting a conspiracy of demons. Appian Way is DiCaprio's production company which acquired the rights to the anime last year. In addition to performing a string of hit singles, the five members of SMAP — Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Goro Inagaki and Shingo Katori — have acted in many films based on manga and anime. However, they have not acted together in the same film since 1994's Shoot.

According to Nikkan Sports, casting is in progress with DiCaprio's expressed intention to "cast with Japanese people." In November, DiCaprio told MTV's Splash Page that he is producing both this project and the proposed live-action adaptation of the Akira anime for Warner and Appian Way, but emphasized that he does "not really" have any interest in acting in them. In the same interview he professed to be a big fan of both Akira and Ninja Scroll, and added, "I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we're going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we're not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape."

At a SMAP event at the end of last year, Nakai said, "I want to do a movie with [all the members of] SMAP." SMAP's agency told Nikkan Sports, "We have no official comment, but if this comes to fruition, we would certainly want to consider it strongly."

Image © 1993 Yoshiaki Kawajiri/Mad House/JVC/TOHO Co. LTD/MOVIC Inc.

Update: Kimura starred as the title character in Howl's Moving Castle, and he also played Memerink in Trinity Blood. Kusanagi played Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank anime movie and Kouichi in Hime-chan's Ribbon. He is also starring in the Yume o Kanaeru Zō television anime and is slated to star in a live-action historical romance loosely based on the plot of the Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Appare! Sengoku Daikassen film. Inagaki played the Kamen Rider G lead in the live-action special of the same name and Dr. Ratchet in the One Piece: Karakuri Shiro no Mecha Kyohei film. Katori famously played Riiya the kid werewolf in Akazukin Cha Cha, Hattori-kun in the live-action Ninja Hattori Kun The Movie, and Haoumaru in Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture.

As a group, SMAP, performed four theme songs for Hime-chan's Ribbon and the "Kimi iro Omoi" opening theme for Akazukin Cha Cha. The five members also acted in the animated and live-action Gatchaman 2000 commercials for NTT East ISDN.








to me, this is GREAT news.

Now if he would apply the same logic to AKIRA ,we'd be in business t:
I wonder if maybe Ninja Assasin played a role in Leo going for Japanese actors for the lead roles.

 

[wellsy]

Oooh, that's a really good idea. But keep Tyler Bates out of it -- I'd really miss that cool percussion effects present in the anime's score.

And we don't necessarily have to have a Japanese entertainment group to play the main characters, just get some solid Japanese actors instead.

Erm, what Japanese actors? I kid you not, there aren't a lot of live action actors over in Japan (cult of personality is absolutely bonkers, apparently. Why do you think anime is so huge?).

And in my opinion, sex etc doesn't need to be shown. Implied, perhaps (or certainly, depending on the importance of said scenes to the characters). But it doesn't have to be shown (see Aegis, volume 3 if you want to get what I mean).

Anyway, this actually looks pretty good. I reckon Leo is really looking at establishing himself with a solid reputation when it comes to bringing anime and manga series into the live action world.

 

[DorkyFresh]

Now if he would apply the same logic to AKIRA ,we'd be in business t:
I wonder if maybe Ninja Assasin played a role in Leo going for Japanese actors for the lead roles.

maybe, but i think it's more common sense than anything. you can't exactly have a bunch of White guys play heroes in Feudal Japan fighting a bunch of Japanese villains without it looking racially biased.

 

[terry78]

maybe, but i think it's more common sense than anything. you can't exactly have a bunch of White guys play heroes in Feudal Japan fighting a bunch of Japanese villains without it looking racially biased.

The Last Samurai and Heroes disagrees with you.

 

[DorkyFresh]

The Last Samurai and Heroes disagrees with you.

haha...nice, but Last Samurai was just ONE white hero and the white guy in Heroes wasn't really the hero of Feudal Japan

 

[The Sage]

Hehe, Japanese actors in a film based on Japanese characters and stories...what a concept!

 

[chamber-music]

cast Takeshi Kaneshiro as Kibagami Jubei I say

 

[DorkyFresh]

cast Takeshi Kaneshiro as Kibagami Jubei I say

poifect

 

[mclay18]

That's actually a brilliant casting rumor. I didn't think much of Kaneshiro when he was in House of Flying Daggers, but give him a bushy wig and he's be a perfect Jubei.

Now who would be an ideal Kagero...

 

[DorkyFresh]

That's actually a brilliant casting rumor. I didn't think much of Kaneshiro when he was in House of Flying Daggers, but give him a bushy wig and he's be a perfect Jubei.

yeah he'd make an awesome Jubei, but don't get your hopes up. he's not even rumored to be attached to this film. we were just saying he'd be awesome.

Now who would be an ideal Kagero...

DEVON AOKI!!!








just joking...foreal though, i dunno. i don't really know of any Japanese actresses that fit her role.

 

[X-Ray]

Awesome news! Really loving Leo's decision to cast an all Japanese cast.