Akira (Two Live-Action Adaptations of the Graphic Novel Series)

[Just Jeans]

With Dragon Ball in the works, I suppose it's no big surprise that Akira is about to go before the live-action lens... but I never would have expected Leo DiCaprio to produce it. :o

DiCaprio, Warner Bros. in for live-action 'Akira' (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i1afdf3970176b31535ab928b875958d1)

Anime classic "Akira" is getting the live-action big screen treatment courtesy of Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Cover-akira.jpg/200px-Cover-akira.jpg

Ruairi Robinson has been hired to direct what would ideally be a two-part epic. Gary Whitta is writing the adaptation, which DiCaprio will produce via his Appian Way shingle. Andrew Lazar is also producing via his Mad Chance shingle. Jennifer Davisson, who heads up Appian, will also be involved in some producorial capacity.

"Akira" originated in 1988 as a manga and then as an animated film co-written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. The story was set in a neon-lit futuristic post-nuclear war "New Tokyo" in 2019 where a teen biker gang member is subjected to a government experiment which unleashes his latent powers. The gang's leader must find a way to stop the ensuing swathe of destruction.

With its mature themes and cutting-edge animation, "Akira" was a milestone movie in anime and even animation circles, and led the way for anime making inroads into Western pop culture in the 1990s.

"Akira" has long been in development at the company, with producers Jon Peters and Basil Iwanyk involved at various times, as well as directors Stephen Norrington and Pitof. The rights lapsed but Warner managed to re-scoop them again for Robinson, who came to the studio with a vision of a two-part adaptation.

The new story moves the action to "New Manhattan," a city rebuilt by Japanese money.

The studio is eyeing a summer 2009 release for the first movie.

Greg Silverman is overseeing for Warners.

Whitta, repped by UTA and Circle of Confusion, wrote "The Book of Eli," which the Hughes Brothers are directing for Warners and Silver Pictures.

"Akira" would mark the feature directorial debut for Robinson who was nominated for a best animated short Oscar in 2001 for a sci-fi comedy called "Fifty Percent Grey." He also wrote and directed a sci-fi short titled "The Silent City." Robinson is repped by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment.

If Dragon Ball and Akira are successful, maybe Neon Genesis Evangelion will finally pick up steam.

[Jigsaw]

I've always loved the Akira anime and always felt it could make for an incredible live-action movie if adapted correctly. Not sure how I feel about this news, but I'll keep an open mind. Leo has definitely re-invented himself in a big way during this decade.

[Just Jeans]

I'm not a huge fan of Akira, but I really enjoyed the film. I'm keen to see how it is adapted to live-action (and I'll point out that the 'New Manhattan' concept doesn't bother me -- it's an American production, so it's not shocking it'll be Americanized to a certain degree. It's one of those things I've learned to accept).

For those curious about the Anime's subject matter:

cGXL-6Jv1pw

[Scarecrow]

Well, there's no way in hell a Hollywood film would end the same way...


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

Are you referring to Tetsuo swelling up and absorbing Kaneda and crushing Kaori to death, Scarecrow? Or are you talking about Tetsuo becoming a God-like entity?

Considering this is going to be a two film epic, I wouldn't be surprised if the first film ends where the animated film does, then goes into either new material or material based on the manga. I wonder if Akira himself may have a more prominent role in the live-action film, something closer to his role in the manga (he sort of becomes a background plot point in the film, from what I understand).

According the one of the articles I've read elsewhere online, the live action films will be an adaptation of the manga -- which differs from the film in many ways -- so we can expect certain elements to be wildly different in any case.

According to Variety (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981194.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562), the first film will adapt volume 1 through 3, the second film will adapt volume 4 through 6:

Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume graphic novel "Akira" into two live-action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. Legendary will co-finance with WB.

Each feature will be based on three of the books in Otomo's series. The story takes place in New Manhattan, a metropolis that was rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years earlier. Otomo will exec produce the films.

Graphic novel was first adapted for the bigscreen in 1988 as a popular animated film which Otomo directed.

Studio has closed a seven-figure rights acquisition deal with manga publisher Kodansha and has set Ruairi Robinson to direct a script by Gary Whitta ("Book of Eli"). Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance will produce with Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

WB had the "Akira" rights several years ago only to let them lapse and then recapture them in a spirited bidding battle.

Robinson, an Irish helmer who has been Oscar nominated for his short film and commercials work, is making his feature debut.

The project was brought in by exec veep Greg Silverman, who has supervised "300" and "Batman Begins."

Lazar is producer on the WB comedy "Get Smart," and he's about to start production on the Jim Carrey starrer "I Love You Phillip Morris" for EuropaCorp.

Appian Way is producing the John Cusack starrer "The Factory" for WB and Dark Castle.

Considering how well '300' and 'Batman Begins' turned out, I hope this will turn out good, too. And it desperately needs to be rated R.

I wonder, with Legendary working on it, if it'll be stylized like '300'?

[Spade]

I really don't know how I feel about this news. I'll watch it for sure, but I'm not going to rush to judgment right now.

[TheShowstoppa]

You know, I picked up Akira on the reccomendation of the people of this board almost 4 years ago, and still have yet to watch it. Maybe it should be next on my list of movies to watch after 3:10 to Yuma. I shall post my thoughts again after viewing it.

[Jigsaw]

Definitely see the anime. It's incredible.

[Chex]

I'm a little surprised that they're going for the manga material. While I enjoy the anime, it's so short and condensed that it just loses some things for the source material that once you read the latter, you just think "well, it's not bad for what it is".

Other than that, my thoughts mirror Spade's in that I'm interested, but I'm not jumping up and down over it and I'll just wait until there's more information and such.

[Just Jeans]

With the popularity of comic book and graphic novel-based films on the rise, it doesn't surprise me much that they've chosen to adapt the manga. With films like Batman Begins and 300 and Sin City and 30 Days of Night doing well in the world wide box office -- and films like Akira and Dragon Ball both opting to adapt the graphic novels rather than the animated material based on the graphic novels -- I'm willing to bet more live-action adaptations will do the same.

With Otomo executive producing, I wonder if he'll finally get his ending? As I recall, he's never been happy with how either version of the story ended.

[Scarecrow]

I wonder, if this is a success, will it get the long mooted Evaneglion movie out of development hell?


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

I think the reason NGE has been sitting in development hell is because ADV Films have got delusions of grandeur vis-a-vis the budget. If they want to develop a NGE film that costs that much, they're going to have to get a major motion picture studio involved, but I think they've been hesitant to do that.

I really need to finish watching NGE, but some twonk on a different forum spoiled the ending of The End of Evangelion for me, so I lost interest and stopped watching the show. I'll finish it one day.

[Alex DeLarge]

I think the reason NGE has been sitting in development hell is because ADV Films have got delusions of grandeur vis-a-vis the budget. If they want to develop a NGE film that costs that much, they're going to have to get a major motion picture studio involved, but I think they've been hesitant to do that.

I really need to finish watching NGE, but some twonk on a different forum spoiled the ending of The End of Evangelion for me, so I lost interest and stopped watching the show. I'll finish it one day.

What did they tell you? I had one bit of EoE spoiled too but trust me, unless they gave you a scene by scene summary, there is SO much in End of Evangelion and Evangelion in general left to spoiled, so I'd still give it a chance.

[Just Jeans]

Given how open the film's finale is to interpretation, I won't even begin to try to remember and repeat what the guy said. But he dropped a single line spoiler into a thread completely unrelated to Evangelion, which is what put me off. Sort of like how stumbling across a massive spoiler about this week's episode of Torchwood in a non-Torchwood related thread put me off. :meh: I still haven't watched the two episodes of Torchwood broadcast in the last two weeks in the wake up reading that spoiler.

Certain bits of information just kill my enthusiasm for watching.

[Scarecrow]

Given how open the film's finale is to interpretation, I won't even begin to try to remember and repeat what the guy said. But he dropped a single line spoiler into a thread completely unrelated to Evangelion, which is what put me off. Sort of like how stumbling across a massive spoiler about this week's episode of Torchwood in a non-Torchwood related thread put me off. :meh: I still haven't watched the two episodes of Torchwood broadcast in the last two weeks in the wake up reading that spoiler.

Certain bits of information just kill my enthusiasm for watching.


But then if its the spoiler I think it is then that in itself is not what it seems...


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

I'd still prefer not to know about it before I've had a chance to see it.

[Madman Marz]

I'm a fan of the anime. It'll be interesting to see how they pull off a live action movie of this.

[Scarecrow]

I was once annoyed that I got "spoiled" that Mickey died in The Age of Steel. I now take it all with a pinch of salt and tend not to let them bother me. :p Evangelion is so open to interp[retation, I've heard some rubbish ideas of what people thought the ending was before. Vague Spoiler If anyone uses the phrase "adam and eve" then they so didn't get the ending...

As for Akira, I'm dubious that Hollywood would pull it off right but willing to see how it develops and hold out some hope.


- Scarecrow

[Alex DeLarge]

I was once annoyed that I got "spoiled" that Mickey died in The Age of Steel. I now take it all with a pinch of salt and tend not to let them bother me. :p Evangelion is so open to interp[retation, I've heard some rubbish ideas of what people thought the ending was before. Vague Spoiler If anyone uses the phrase "adam and eve" then they so didn't get the ending...

*high five* My god, how many times I've had to refute that... :p

[French Friday]

Akira was the first japanimation movie I've ever seen in the early 90s (even before knowing what a "manga" was) and it marked me a lot, even if now I love it less because of his desperate atmosphere (but at least, Kaneda is an hopeful character wanting to help everyone). The manga itself had a better story (normal with so much more pages to tell it).

I'm totally open to "New Manhattan" (especially after 9/11), at least it will make the live-action movie very different from the japanime one, and I refuse to compare both when the live one will be released.

[Cody]

Script review (http://latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-a-look-at-the-live-action-akira-remake-akira-part-1-5678)

Grade: B

[Just Jeans]

Sounds like a whopper.

Although why the reviewer insists on referring to this as a "remake" when it clearly isn't is somewhat baffling. :confused:

[Scarecrow]

Kind of is really, it was a film before, it's being remade. I mean, it depends if you play into the "assumed" status of live action as superior to aniamtion, and Hollywood as dominant, which is inherent in current culture. But really, in a level playin feild of reality, it IS a remake.


- Scarecrow

[Just Jeans]

Just because there's been a film previously doesn't make this a remake of that film. For one thing, they're directly adapting Katsuhiro Otomo's graphic novels -- three per live action film -- rather than the animated film, which is considerably different from the books.

This is no more a remake than Transformers or Dragonball or Cowboy Bebop. The fact that these live-action films are based on a source material that's been realized in animated form doesn't make them remakes.

[Scarecrow]

That's veyr true, in many ways. Adaptations of a story have more of a excuse to avoid the remake label. Of course you can then get into the media debate of books/comics/film and suggest theres nothing wrong with "ANY" remake as it's simply a new interpretation on an old idea. :p

At any rate, I like to think remake isn't a dirty word in itself and I look forward to at leats seeing if this is done right.


- Scarecrow

[The One and Only]

Some casting news on this project. Serious talk (http://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=25026) of Morgan Freeman being cast as the Colonel in the American adaptation to the manga /anime classic. But there is talk of for the lead roll to go to Zac Efron.:X

[Just Jeans]

Eh, Efron's got to branch out eventually. I say give him a shot.

Freeman would rule.

[The One and Only]

It looks like current acting wunderkind James Franco (http://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=26565), maybe up for the role of the rider of cinema's coolest motorcycle, Kaneda, in the AKIRA remake.

[Sutter Cane]

I like the idea of Franco joining the cast. Efron, not so much.

[Just Jeans]

That would be cool castin'.

[Cody]

Rewrite and actors short list (http://www.deadline.com/2011/03/akira-focuses-on-short-list-of-actors-after-getting-steve-kloves-rewrite/)

The picture is finally taking shape for an August start, following the delivery of a rewrite by Steve Kloves that has director Albert Hughes and the studio brass excited. The story takes place in the rebuilt New Manhattan where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment.

There are two major roles, and I'm told that for Tetsuo, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy have been given the new script. For the role of Kaneda, the script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix. The two leads are expected to come from that group of actors.

Andrew Lazar is producing with Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Akira has been one of Warner Bros' high priority projects since the studio with Legendary Pictures acquired it for a 7-figure sum 2 years ago from manga publisher Kodansha. The intention has been to make 2 films, each covering 3 books in the series. Akira was first adapted for the screen in 1988.

[Just Jeans]

McAvoy & Pine, please.

[pa®tci]

Wow! Didn't saw this one coming. I guess it will be... interesting, even though I am not sure I like the idea of "New Manhattan", but I guess I have to live with that. Hope it lives to the quality of the anime.

[The One and Only]

Whoa... (http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/44292/keanu-reeves-running-akira-ummm-really) Keanu Reeves being courted for the lead.:doh:

[Just Jeans]

He's a big Anime fan -- that's why he wants to do Cowboy Bebop -- so I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but I'm not sure he's right for either of these roles. We'll see, though.

[Cody]

Keanu passes, production/budget issues (http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/exclusive-keanu-reeves-passes-on-akira-so-whats-next)

Earlier this month, Warner Bros., in yet another attempt to get an A-list star with international appeal to anchor the increasingly expensive AKIRA, began informal talks with Keanu Reeves about taking the lead role in the film. The discussions were early but optimistic as Reeves seemed to have interest in the material but we can confirm that Reeves has officially joined Brad Pitt, James Franco and Ryan Gosling as actors who've passed on starring in AKIRA. And that's not the only speed bump Team AKIRA experienced this month on the way towards production.

Early Thursday morning, some time after receiving word from Reeves' reps that he would be passing on the project, Warner Bros. shut down AKIRA's pre-viz department and most of the staff that was working on the film was let go. While it may be easy to draw conclusions when you see both events taking place in the same week, I'm told that one has nothing to do with the other. Warners, who has a close relationship with Reeves after the MATRIX films, was disappointed he passed but are still actively looking for a lead.

When asked to comment on the production shake-up, Warner Bros. released the following statement: "Production on ‘Akira’ has not halted or been shut down, as the film has not yet been greenlit and is still very much in the development stage. The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude, and we will continue to sculpt our approach to making the best possible film."

Albert Hughes signed on to direct an adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume manga series back in February of last year. Warner Bros. has been quietly developing the project since then with producer Leonardo DiCaprio keeping a watchful eye. But as the budget rose to upwards of $140 million, concerns within the studio grew rapidly. Steve Kloves was brought in to rewrite the script and presumably age Kaneda, the film's lead character, in order to attract a star with a higher profile.

At the same time, the studio was courting assistance on the film from an outside studio with the hopes of co-producing the film in exchange for international distribution rights. There was some speculation that WB and Universal would engage in a tit-for-tat over troubled productions with WB helping on Uni's THE DARK TOWER and Uni helping on AKIRA. That, obviously, never materialized and Warners now is taking a longer look at the project and its many complexities.

Hughes is still attached to the project and the studio may work with Hughes and Kloves on rewrites to scale back the budget and bring AKIRA back to the fast track. In fact, a source compared AKIRA to Alfonso Cuaron's GRAVITY, another sci-fi heavy project at Warner Bros. that had difficulty finding a lead. In February of 2010, Angelina Jolie was attached to star and pre-viz was trucking along when some delays forced Jolie to drop out. As Cuaron and WB worked on both the creative and business end of the film, pre-viz ceased, the schedule was again delayed and Robert Downey, Jr. exited the film. The project resolved those issues and now has Sandra Bullock and George Clooney set to star with production scheduled to begin next month.

So while it looks as if AKIRA is struggling now, it may be a temporary setback to a project, by all accounts, Warner Bros. is committed to putting before cameras. Until then, it looks as if AKIRA is the latest ambitious and expensive project having trouble finding a greenlight in Hollywood.

[Cody]

Hughes exits (http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/albert-hughes-exiting-akira-at-warner-bros/)

Director Albert Hughes is exiting the movie, I’m told. Insiders say that it is an amicable creative differences parting of the ways. Warner Bros will try to put him on another movie right away (Hughes and his brother Allen directed the hit The Book of Eli, and WB topper Jeff Robinov is their former agent and is very close with them). Hughes is coming to Hollywood next week to take meetings with his WME reps and look at scripts, hoping to find his next movie at Warner Bros.

As for Akira, the intention of the studio is to keep the picture on a fast track, which means they will find a director quickly. The studio has been wrestling with the approach on the film for the past year.

[WesReviews]

Production stopped (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/akira-production-shut-down-budget-warner-bros-278729).

Warner Bros is pushing the pause button on Akira.

The project, which has been through several incarnations, is being shut down in the face of casting, script and budget issues. The production offices in Vancouver are being closed, with below-the-line talent and crew told to stop working. “Everybody is being sent home,” according to an insider.

Producers, who include Appian Way’s Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar, will hunker down with director Jaume Collet-Serra for the next two weeks to iron out the script. It is unclear if Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves, who did a pricey rewrite on the project a year ago, will be brought in to help out.

If the issues cannot be resolved, the project could end up being shelved entirely, say insiders.

Collet-Serra already had halved the budget from the incarnation that Albert Hughes was going to direct. He now is working on a budget in the $90 million range. But with only Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) signed on to star, and Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe and Helena Bonham Carter in various stages of dealmaking, the studio feels that the price tag is still too high for a sci-fi project with that level of star wattage. The goal, says an insider, is to bring the budget down to between $60 million and $70 million. However, another source close to the production says the script, rather than the budget, has skidded the production. The project, this person says, will remain in the $90 million range.

An adaptation of the classic Japanese manga, Akira is an Americanized story set in a postapocalyptic New Manhattan, where a motorcycle gang leader (Hedlund) must stop his brother and fellow gang member from abusing his newly acquired telekinetic powers.

Akira already has “died” three times only to rise phoenix-like from the ashes. Ruairi Robinson and Hughes were previously deep into the project as directors before dropping off. Collet-Serra got the project green-lighted and has come the closest to going before cameras.

This isn't the only Warner Bros. project whose budget is being scrutinized. Arthur and Lancelot, the period fantasy being directed by David Dobkin, also has come under increased budget pressure.

Sources close to the project say Akira isn't dead yet. “It’s a very resilient movie,” says one insider. “Warner Bros. just won’t let it die.”

Warner Bros. declined comment.

[WesReviews]

Unused storyboards (http://io9.com/5895469/unused-storyboards-show-what-the-american-akira-couldve-looked-like?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow) from the U.S. live action remake...

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17h86br56ngemjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17h86bt424m5pjpg/original.jpg

[WesReviews]

Toby Kebbell Criticizes Script for Live-Action AKIRA; Says Tetsuo and Kaneda Would’ve Been Brothers (http://collider.com/akira-toby-kebbell-criticism/155268/)

The live-action adaptation of the manga/anime Akira has apparently sunk back into development hell. The movie was beginning to move into pre-production after having cast Garrett Hedlund as Kaneda, and Warner Bros. was in various stages of negotiations with Kristen Stewart, Gary Oldman, and Helena Bonham Carter. The studio was also trying to find the film’s other male lead to play Tetsuo. Wrath of the Titans actor Toby Kebbell was one of the actors being considered, and he was excited for the chance to play the part until he read the script.

Hit the jump for what Kebbell, a fan of the original manga and anime, had to say about Warners’ take on the story.

akira_movie_posterSpeaking to IFC [via The Playlist], Kebbell said he was confused about why Warners wouldn’t want to use the manga as a launching point if they were planning to turn Akira into a franchise:

“They were like, ‘This is going to be a big franchise!’” he explained. “So I said, ‘Then in that case, understand that I’ve read the comics, and I’ve read the comics that got turned into the annuals, and then the annuals that got turned into the one-off anime. So if you really want to do it, then why don’t you look at the six comics and just put two into each film?’”

But the studio wanted to use the anime (which was based on the manga) as the basis for the live-action adaptation:

“They were like, ‘Welllll…’” he shrugged. “So I told them, ‘Then this is a remake [of the animated movie], and I don’t want to do a live-action remake of the cartoon, because [the cartoon] is perfect and you’re not going to do it dark enough — so therefore, I don’t want to do it.”

It’s clear that Kebbell is a true fan, especially when he points out the short comings of the anime, and how the studio’s plan to make Tetsuo and Kaneda brothers was a terrible idea:

“I was desperate to play Tetsuo, but Tetsuo in the comic and annual form,” he explained. “He’s brilliant in the anime, but if you know anything about the comics, they cut so much of the story out. You care about him, because it’s brilliantly done, but you don’t really care about Kaneda, who isn’t.”

“The other thing they wanted to do was make [Tetsuo and Kaneda] brothers,” he continued. “I was like, ‘The point is that Tetsuo can’t comprehend how someone who isn’t his brother could love him so much — and that’s where his wrath and his rage come from. Do you not see that? Why have you made them brothers? What the fuck are you doing?’”

Kebbell doesn’t expect to get the part since he’s made the unforgivable error of giving his honest and well-informed opinion. He’s still eager to see a live-action Akira movie, but he’s disappointed at the studio’s approach. My respect for Kebbell has now increased exponentially. He was willing to torpedo any chance he had at starring in a blockbuster adaptation of one of his favorite stories because he didn’t feel the adaptation would be true to the story he loved.