Okay, i'm not getting excited about this, ever.
Akira is the best animated movie i have yet seen, on many levels and the long, lonnnggggg mooted live action version has been kicked back to life more times than Jason and Freddy but after the last failed attempt (which was set to star Leonardo DICaprio and set in a future New York. I know, dumb as hell) most people felt it was dead for good. But now the writers of Children of Men, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby haver been signed to adapt the movie.
The skinny? It's still set in Neo Manhattan and is expected to cost $300m.
1st, This is a Japanese classic, it's story, ethics, background and culture are firmly set in a future Japan, it was one of the main points of Akira that made that world so incredible. Keep it in Japan
2nd This movie does not need to cost $300m, i can't imagine a single movie that does. I'm as familiar with Akira as anyone and with todays technology the spectacular can be done with far, far less money. Take a look at District 9, utterly believable and cost a tenth of that. Take a lesson and stop spending ridiculous amount of money on films.
3rd Either do an adaptation of Akira as it is or leave it be. The sole reason this has been transposed to the US is to interest US audiences in case they don't go to the cinema.
For those who aren't familiar with Akira here is the blu ray trailer.
Wednesday, 9 September 2009