The ruining of AKIRA

In 2007 Appian way Production company, co -owned by Leonardo Dicaprio won the movie rights to the Manga/Anime classic AKIRA in a bidding war for a high seven figure dollar amount. Fans around the world moaned and groaned some cried and others just figured whatever this will never get made.

Right of the bat they used the dreaded term "fast track" as they wanted the first part to be released in 2009 and "sequel" which is never necessarily a bad thing but when your planing to split a near 3,000 + page opus into two two plus hour movies you better bring your A++ game. A cast was never announced although a first time feature director Gary Whitia was attached. A script was being rushed the creator of this masterpiece Katsuhiro Otomo was on board as an executive producer and Leo Promised that he would not do us wrong as he claims to be a huge anime fan ( I can not confirm this as I do not know him). Flash Forward four years and as of today here is where we we stand....................................

The Hughes Brothers are slated to Direct although they have expressed and stated in many interviews that they hate sequels to anything and would not be interested in doing both films if brought on for the first. rgardless of this filming is finally slated to begin in August in the New York City.

The setting has been changed from Neo Tokyo to New Manhattan. Which is initially going to have some type of Background as being land which we gave the Japanese since we destroyed them again at the end of WWIII, and to explain a mixture of Asians and Americans in the cast. Well that last word there in the previous sentence cast is what got me. Here's why

Ladies and Gentleman meet Shotaro Kaneda in his Anime form


Now meet the actors in competition for his role


Yes you are seeing this right I give you Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake, Joaquin Phoenix, Garret Hedlund and Michael fassbender.

Now Tetsuo Shima


And his possibilities

Yet again no need to rub your eyes that is Robert Pattinson, James Garfield and James McAvoy.

Finally Colonel Shikishima


And his already named live counterpart "Morgan Freeman"



Now I have no problem with any of these actors they are all fine and capable men. However for various reasons (age mainly) they all sans Mr. Freman aside are pretty much incapable of portraying 15 year olds. Now even more so there has been a huge cry on the internet here about this film being "White washed" and screwing asain actors out of opportunities to play these people which are evidently Asian. You can read more and sign a petition for that here at the race bending. com website. I did and it seems reasonable given the circumstances.

Alan Moore cried to the high Heavens that his comic "watchmen" was unfilmable and Zack Snyder proved that. I'm sorry it is an alright film but so much was cut out of that film that its almost criminal. Even the "Ultimate cut" which clocks in at 3 hours and 35 minutes leaves a suitable and important amount of content out of the adaptation and all told the collection of issues is all told about 400 pages. 400 didn't get covered in 3.5 so I doubt 3,000 will get sufficient treatment in 5.

At the end of the day my main Question is. Does this film even need to be made? even more so who are they going to market it too?

I'm 30 and nearly all of the younger anime/manga fans I know know nothing about AKIRA. nothing at all. I attended the Tekkoshocon Anime festival in Pittsburgh last year dressed as Tetsuo and I had so many people come up and ask me who I was that half way through the day I said F this and changed into normal clothes.The vast majority of younger kids today care not about learning anything about history in generally any way shape or form. This statement is sad but true, and when it comes to things such as anime the same applies. Anything before Dragon Ball Z and they have no clue. Elders Such as my self are just disgusted at a ratio of about 60% from all of the info I gathered from various forums and sites over the past few years and just about everyone has no hopes of this being good. As tfar as the international crowd goes ................. well imagine how this film is going to be received in Japan, China, etc.

I Personally do not understand. Maybe its because Akira was the first Anime movie I saw and it blew my mind or maybe its the fact that I'm going to cry in a years time when I walk by Hot Topic and see nothing but AKIRA merchandise in the windows dolls of James Pattinson as Tetsuo, and a ton of little 13 year old kids running around wearing shirts with the tag line " New, New York is about to explode" on it. Giggling and talking in the food court about how its their favorite movie ever, only to look at me quizically, while I turn from the table next to them and go "Oh really did you ever see the movie. You know the original from 1989 or did you ever read any of the Manga's from then as well? Even more so did you even know it was anything before it was this sure to be god awful Film you little bas^ards? I'll get no reply just that dumb deer in head lights look that only people from the ages of 11-17 can produce (we all know the one)

Or maybe its just because I'm getting old and Feel that Akira is truly the only piece of my childhood that someone else hasn't raped brutally right in front of my eyes but I digress finally.

All I want to know is why? While the only other thing I can say is PLEASE don't make this movie

Thanks for reading and I'm starting to think I should have place d this in the Rant forum

That is all

Trowa

OMFG Don't get me started.

My head is spinning like the exorcist! The freaking producers in hollywood don't get it.
How are you going to pass those guys off as teenage punk juvenile delinquent drug dealing bikers?

There are plenty of 15-17 year old actors that can fit the bill as the main characters.
However I would get famous actors to play some of the bit parts. The rock as the the gym teacher. He'd make a nice cameo beating up the kids.

I would stick justin bieber in as the pretty boy of the bike gang that was always dressed good. He'd bring in people to the movies to watch.

whatever.

When any comic/amine/book becomes a movie it becomes another universe, the people that only know the movie will probably dislike the written form, you know what i mean? besides it could be a good thing to get it out and about.

I hear you my firend. Even some of the older asian actors could've done this. I think John Cho from Star trek would be a great Tetsuo and while I know he is 37 he played a teen in Star Trek and I near shi^e my self when I found out he was that old. I think Nicholas Tse would be a great Kaneda. Again a little older and not known over here but a near ringer. Your idea of filling out the cast with Ameicans sounds good too. I could see kai being Beiber or Efron ( who also was offered the role of Kaneda over the fall).

What people have to remember to is there is very large parts of the MANGA where Kaneda is not around, nearly a third of it actually. And what about Kei? Mila Kunis was offered the role and she turned it down. She is going to be important as she is has a vital role in the manga?

I don't know ............I ..............just..................... This is going to suck.

goodbye childhood ..................whatever I guess I turn 31 on Saturday anyway.

That is all

reply to post by RobbWonder


Yeah I know I should ease up about this but for all the reasons mentioned above I can't. I got mad squabbles and I'm refusing to let em go on this one.

Also welcome to ATS

That is all

Trowa

I also think this thread should be in the rant forum.
Hollywood hasn't learned from Street fighter, Dragon ball and all other live action scum they produced.
Only japanese (asian)actors have a knack for making decent live action adaptations of anime.
The metal gear fan made film is decent, but Hollywood had nothing to do with it

Why do these self indulgent Americans always have to ruin a good thing?

When i was younger i used to listen to this soundtrack either on the way to work or just chilling out on my bed.

There is no way known that they can reproduce the atmosphere that this movie had.

I still own this on VHS!

Greatest anime ever made.

reply to post by normalhuman


Yeah Dragonball Z evolution.
nuff said.

You don't have to be over 17 to be pissed about this! I saw Akira when I was 15 and intend to read the origional series before this Hollywood crap is released.

There's a supposedly leaked script here (PDF) that seems to be at least reasonable, right up until you see a single name. Travis.

If this is real, Tetsuo Shima (AKA best name ever) has been changed to Travis. Regular, sh*tty Travis.

I'm gunna go vent some anger.



Roswell.

reply to post by TrowaBarton


Don't feel bad. I'm 32 and Akira, along with Vampire Hunter D and Project A-KO where the first anime movies I ever saw when I was young. Certain things should not be tampered with. What next, a Ghost in the Shell live action movie? Aeon Flux was a horrid film.

reply to post by TrowaBarton


Indeed, my friend, a live-action adaptation of this movie should be approached with extreme caution, for I, like many, have very much respect for the animated version of the graphic novels...
That being said,... I have been waiting for technology to catch up with this incredible story and have monitored the possible productions that have come and gone...since then, I have increasingly lost confidence in Hollywood's ability to do this subject matter with the deference it deserves,...Hollywood is a pale shadow of what it once was,...

I used to watch some sci-fi movies in 80's and 90's that I thought they were good and said to myself: "man, wait till the technology gets good enough to do AKIRA and the like..."

Turns out I was wrong!...

Hollywood has squandered and pissed on great movie ideas for the sake of $$$,.. and sci-fi has born the brunt of that disrespect,...crap like Andromeda and Xena ...

Just look at the SY-FY channel,.. or whatever they call themselves now... they have turned science fiction into a tasteless gruel for the masses, which is what true sci-fi should never be subjected to,... all for the $$$.

Sorry to sound so jaded, but I used to work in the special effects industry and I left for just this reason:...I got into it because I loved great sci-fi stories like AKIRA, and was ready to continue being part of the industry, when the tech caught up,... but my heart was broken when the crap started to flow...

Now I wince every time I here Hollywood is attempting to touch a masterpiece like AKIRA...