CBR: The Hughes Bros Attack "Akira"

[CBR News]

Early word is that the sibling directing team behind the sleeper hit "The Book of Eli" will reteam with Warner Brothers and their comic-friendly screenwriter to bring the classic manga and anime to live action.


Full article here.

[Mundungus]

The Book of Eli is pretty good but I don't see the reason to adapt Akira as a live-action film(s).

First, I'm weary that it's being produced by America. If anyone were to make a live-action Akira it should have been a Japanese movie company. I just don't understand why we have to "Americanize" things, especially if that ends up being the case with this.

Secondly, why can't people just enjoy the original anime? I already know the answer. But I feel like when you have a perfectly acceptable manga collection and an incredibly well-done animated feature then why ask for more? It's like taking British tv shows and making American versions of them. Why couldn't they just syndicate the British one through one of the major primetime networks? I know the answer to that too. I just don't like the answers.

Still. I'll just wait and see. Vote with my wallet if I care enough.

[Xero]

Nooooo!!! Not the damn Hughes Brothers, and certainly not for Akira, I like to support black creators whenever possible, but they are totally wrong for this project.

Ryuhei Kitamura should have gotten the job.

[StoneGold]

Nooooo!!! Not the damn Hughes Brothers, and certainly not for Akira, I like to support black creators whenever possible, but they are totally wrong for this project.

Ryuhei Kitamura should have gotten the job.

I'm not sure anyone is right for Akira. Take Otomo's art out of the picture, and the story is kind of weak.

[Tobias March]

It was a stupid idea when Stephen Norrington wanted to do it. It was a stupid idea when Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to do it. It remains a stupid idea.

[Alan Lynch]

It was a stupid idea when Stephen Norrington wanted to do it. It was a stupid idea when Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to do it. It remains a stupid idea.

Seconded. Plus, I watched From Hell again recently and I really don't know if I can take another Hughes Brothers comic adaptation.

[firefly13]

I won't lie, Akira was the movie that got me into anime a long time ago. How much I would love to see a live action version however I don't think it can be done. At least done to the scale of the original release.

I would be more optimistic if Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royal) or Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer) names were attached to the film. Yeah, I say don't let it get Americanized.

[RegalSin]

Aki Aki Aki Akira...............Wait, this is another Hollywood film?

Remember when we all saw....ed Clerks2 at the movies. And said. Man oh man the Clerks are fat in the chin.

Remember when we all watched the bootleg of Speed Racer and said. Man oh man. When did speed racer became a fat American. Who had too many pizza's when he was a kid. Was old enough to be somebodies grandfather. Was stereotypical, made to look Peter Griffonish. More importantly when did the little kid and monkey stop looking differnt from each other????????

Remember when people made movies adaptions. They would try to select people that somewhat resembles the character. Oh wait, that is never going to happen.

Speaking of things to remember. Does anybody here remembers how the creator of Akira worked as a director..........so why not this film???

I imagine LIVE Akira to look like a really bad B-movie ( like Blade 3: II:Vampires versus the aliens ) with plastic blood, but instead of being a really bad B-movie, we are going to get an in your face hollywood box office smash hit.


Here you wanna watch something checkout Darkmaze. At least you can watch from the safety of your own home. Plus it is B-movie material. Seriously the most famous teather in my area closed down. There is no such thing as movies anymore. Thank you DVD.

Checkout these movies instead. You will be more sane for it.

[Yoel]

There's really no reason to call this film 'Akira'.
I'm pretty sure it will retain none of the elements that made the original manga and anime so great.

There's already a perfectly good Akira film made... so i'll be watching that instead.

[Jared]

There's really no reason to call this film 'Akira'.

You could say that about the anime, for that matter.

Really, as long as the previous kid who blew up the city (it doesn't really matter what city) was named Akira, you can call the movie that.

The out-of-control super evolved pyschic power plot is a sci-fi staple, going *at least* as far back as the original Star Trek.

[The Xenos]

bah, double post

[The Xenos]

Aki Aki Aki Akira...............Wait, this is another Hollywood film?
Remember when we all saw....ed Clerks2 at the movies. And said. Man oh man the Clerks are fat in the chin.
Remember when we all watched the bootleg of Speed Racer and said. Man oh man. When did speed racer became a fat American. Who had too many pizza's when he was a kid. Was old enough to be somebodies grandfather. Was stereotypical, made to look Peter Griffonish. More importantly when did the little kid and monkey stop looking differnt from each other????????

Hey. Remember when we saw the Japanese adaptation of Sideways and they had some skinny slant eye guy being all "Me rikey fried lice!"
See, how horrible ethnic and national stereotypes sound? Please leave your racial comments about Americans being fat Peter Griffins at the door.

Plus.. dear crap.. How the hell is Emil Hersch fat and old?! He was a spotting image. Plus when the hell was Speed Japanese? Pretty sure even in the original Japanese cartoon he was pretty caucausian. Heck Pops was always chubby and Goodman was spot on casting.

Oh and Dante and Dantall were far from fat. Jay was skinny. Director and Silent Bob Kevin Smith? okay. He did just get kicked off an airplane for being overweight. Though I think he's not quite that level and the plane crew were full of it.. still funny coincidence.

Remember when people made movies adaptions. They would try to select people that somewhat resembles the character. Oh wait, that is never going to happen. Speaking of things to remember. Does anybody here remembers how the creator of Akira worked as a director..........so why not this film???

I agree there. This is one of the most amazing things about the original film, one that makes it not just amazing in terms of Japanese film or animation, but in cinema itself. It really is a classic. A remake would be like remaking Rock. Then again they did remake classics like Psycho and The Day The Earth Stood Still, both utter turds.

I imagine LIVE Akira to look like a really bad B-movie ( like Blade 3: II:Vampires versus the aliens ) with plastic blood, but instead of being a really bad B-movie, we are going to get an in your face hollywood box office smash hit.

What? Did you even see the Blade movies? There were no aliens. Well, the third Blade was pretty bad, but far from a B film. Not great, but better than some of the other Hollywood films that are as bad as B Grade films.

Here you wanna watch something checkout ... At least you can watch from the safety of your own home. Plus it is B-movie material. Seriously the most famous teather in my area closed down. There is no such thing as movies anymore. Thank you DVD ... Checkout these movies instead. You will be more sane for it.[/URL]

You do know there are decent American movies that aren't B Films out there. Not like too many Japanese films are shinning either. 90% of everything is crap, you have to find those diamonds on both sides of the pond. Personally, for example, I thought the Japanese Death Note adaptation was horrible, on par with most sub par American comic adaptations. I love the manga and what I saw of the anime, but the movies were very weak.

Still, I think the very concept of an Americanized Akira live action remake is ridiculous. I got no interest in seeing it. Akira is very rooted in Japan and its culture and history. It'd be like.. well damn I almost want to say Seven Samurai, but I really doubt you can make a Magnificent Seven out of this. Plus there are plenty of other good stories to make. Hell, I'd much rather see Otomo's Domu which I thnk The Hobbit's del Toro expressed some interest in.

[meethraa]

Hey. Remember when we saw the Japanese adaptation of Sideways and they had some skinny slant eye guy being all "Me rikey fried lice!"
See, how horrible ethnic and national stereotypes sound? Please leave your racial comments about Americans being fat Peter Griffins at the door.

That could potentially carry some weight if it had any basis on the truth...

... AND it would be a film I'd gladly pay to see.

[The Xenos]

Well I was joking with the comment, but recently I did hear Japan is making a Sideways remake with Japanese actors. I forget where it was, some other thread about film remakes or something.

Actually, seems it came out a couple of months ago,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideways#Remake

Oh yeah, I also want to point out that the first Clerks was not a Hollywood film. It was an indie film from Jersey. Actually... dunno if going from Hollywood to Jersey is much of a step up. Um.. never mind. Meanwhile I will say Clerks 2 was the Hollywood sequel to the indie film by the same Jersey fat ass director. It was.. okay. Hell, it had Rosario Dawson talking about a-- to m----. It was awesome.

Also it's not as if Japan doesn't have its down giant machine like Hollywood there. Like I said, Death Note felt like a typical Hollywood remake. Even anime suffers from studio and record label interference.

[Libaax]

Screw this another americanization of another famous manga,tv,film.......

Only good thing this news does is remind me i havent read Akira yet and the fact there are new versions of the manga out in GN.