Live Action Akira

[The Overlord]

The difference is that Spider-Man has never been interpreted as a "friendly Berliner wall-crawler" whereas Catwoman has more than once been a non-Selina Kyle character, whose only constant factor is that she's a cat-based thief/bounty hunter/crusader.

I would however, approve of a Berlin-based Spider-Man, produced by an obscure European director on a shoe string budget, featuring a guy who's web-swinger by day, ramshackle art-house film theatre employee by night. And he still cracks wise, in Deutsch.

This is besides the point, in Akira, the anime and the manga, Akira was always set in Japan, there has no other incarnation of this story. There two incarnations of this story and both of them were set in japan. Akira is a Japanese name, why would the story be set in NYC? Story being set in Japan is part of the mythos.

Now I'm not an otaku and I realizes that some changes need to be made to adapt this story to the silver screen, but changing the location is such a fundamental change for no real reason.

Frankly I'm not sure its a good idea to adapt manga into Hollywood movies, there is cultural gap that exists between them and I'm not sure Hollywood is clever enough to bridge it.

 

[Iceshadow]

Well, while I see and agree with what Overlord is saying. That doesn't mean that this movie will be bad, just different. Making the movie set in New York makes it appeal to a broader American audience, many of whom have never heard of Akira.

I wouldn't want to see Spider-man movie set in Berlin where Spider-Man's civilian name is Helmut.

You must have hated Spider-Man: India then.

 

[The Overlord]

Well, while I see and agree with what Overlord is saying. That doesn't mean that this movie will be bad, just different. Making the movie set in New York makes it appeal to a broader American audience, many of whom have never heard of Akira.

Exposing people to foreign cultures would do them some good.

Crouching tiger wasn't set in America and that still did well.

I just don't see the point of adapting "Akira" if you are going to change a bunch of important details from the story.

You must have hated Spider-Man: India then.

Never read it. I don't even like the American version of the Office.

 

[moonmaster]

I'm actually pretty excited about this, though I'm hoping the DiCaprio rumor is false. He seems smart enough to understand that he's too old to be playing a teenager.

JGL as Tetsuo: :rockon: He was exactly who I was going to cast if I did an Akira dreamcast.

And you all need to stop *****ing about it being set in New York.

If any of you think that Hollywood would fund a multi-million dollar action movie and set in Japan, starring nothing but Asian actors, I'd like to visit whatever magical dream planet you live on.

And the names won't be much trouble. Just change Tetsuo and Kaneda's names and have Akira just happen to have been a Japanese-American kid.

Funny.

Moony was just talking about doing this a few weeks ago.

I WAS!

DiCaprio is NOT officially cited as being set to star in this movie. He's only a co-producer, so any talk of how fit he is to play Kaneda --- or a teenage biker man from post-bomb Tokyo --- is kind of jumping the gun a bit.

At least as far as I know.

Otherwise, I'd be buying his stock on HSX.

Exactly.

The DiCaprio thing isn't confirmed.

I want the Akira movie to be set in New York.

And for the CGI team to accurately scan the genitals who ever plays Tetsuo.

So they can realistically inflate them in the climax.

EDIT: Wait. That sounds wrong. You know what I mean.

Yes, yes, we all know how much you love inflatable genitalia.

 

[Hibiki]

My main beef with it setting up in New York is that New York is the backdrop for almost every ******* movie on the planet. I swear if I didn't already live there, I'd know my way around before I had even stepped foot off the airplane.

What happened to being BOLD in movies?

 

[moonmaster]

My main beef with it setting up in New York is that New York is the backdrop for almost every ******* movie on the planet. I swear if I didn't already live there, I'd know my way around before I had even stepped foot off the airplane.

What happened to being BOLD in movies?

You're right, they should set it in Cleveland. That would be so original.

 

[Hibiki]

You're right, they should set it in Cleveland. That would be so original.

It would but you obviously don't get the point.

 

[The Overlord]

I'm actually pretty excited about this, though I'm hoping the DiCaprio rumor is false. He seems smart enough to understand that he's too old to be playing a teenager.

JGL as Tetsuo: :rockon: He was exactly who I was going to cast if I did an Akira dreamcast.

And you all need to stop *****ing about it being set in New York.

If any of you think that Hollywood would fund a multi-million dollar action movie and set in Japan, starring nothing but Asian actors, I'd like to visit whatever magical dream planet you live on.

And the names won't be much trouble. Just change Tetsuo and Kaneda's names and have Akira just happen to have been a Japanese-American kid.

a.

Maybe Hollywood shouldn't adapt this story if they want to change important details like location and names. That just seems pointless.

 

[moonmaster]

It would but you obviously don't get the point.

Seriously, where else would they set the movie?

Like I said, there's no way in hell they'd do it in Tokyo.

And New York makes even more sense because of the 9/11 parallels. (As Langsta pointed out when I first mentioned how I wanted to do an American Akira dreamcast.)

Maybe Hollywood shouldn't adapt this story if they want to change important details like location and names. That just seems pointless.

Yeah, that's what Hollywood does.

ALL THE TIME.

And the location and the names aren't even "important details". They're superficial.

I doubt that if Clark Kent had been called "Bill Kent" that Superman would've been a total flop.

 

[The Overlord]

Seriously, where else would they set the movie?

Like I said, there's no way in hell they'd do it in Tokyo.

And New York makes even more sense because of the 9/11 parallels. (As Langsta pointed out when I first mentioned how I wanted to do an American Akira dreamcast.)

Yeah, that's what Hollywood does.

ALL THE TIME.

And the location and the names aren't even "important details". They're superficial.

I doubt that if Clark Kent had been called "Bill Kent" that Superman would've been a total flop.

Yeah Hollywood does that all the time and results usually suck, likely be the out come for this film as well.

If they changed Superman's civilian, people would wonder why they did that, his name is part of the mythos.

 

[Planet-man]

My main beef with it setting up in New York is that New York is the backdrop for almost every ******* movie on the planet. I swear if I didn't already live there, I'd know my way around before I had even stepped foot off the airplane.

So would I.

Thanks, Spider-Man 2 for Gamecube!

You're right, they should set it in Cleveland. That would be so original.

*buys Drew Carey stock on HSX*

 

[Hibiki]

Seriously, where else would they set the movie?

Like I said, there's no way in hell they'd do it in Tokyo.

And New York makes even more sense because of the 9/11 parallels. (As Langsta pointed out when I first mentioned how I wanted to do an American Akira dreamcast.)

I had a good argument but whatever, I'm not trying to argue with you. I could go on about how they could shoot it in Japan with no problems and how it'll all be CGI anyway. It can work given the imagination one could encompass. No one thought watch could stay a time piece and that it would have to be modernized to capture an audience. I think given the info and screenshots that it could be disagreed. The movie isn't out so I guess we can't really say. What I can comment on is I Am Legend. Yeah we all thought it was a cool movie but i know most/all of us agreed that the book was still better, that the movie was a good reimaging but still didn't hold a candle to the book. I just finished reading the book a few weeks ago and I agree. So yeah my disappointment comes from that and how I can already see them destroying the manga/anime they're building this movie on. It'll probably be a good reimagination and that's what you've been saying all along. I get it. It's just not going to be what everyone else that knows the material will expect and that sucks bollocks. The reason why is because it seems no one wants to take chances. Lets just go the safe route and set it in NYC. Thats never been done before. Let's play it off 9/11, that's never been done before.
My main problem is that everyone is good at reimagining an original work and change every detail until it is everything but the orignal, but no one wants to pull up they're sleeves and crank out an original piece based off it's original works with very minor details changed. I understand that some things don't adapt well from written to film. But that shouldn't really be the case since anything done in the anime can be easily and believeably CGI'd.

So would I.

Thanks, Spider-Man 2 for Gamecube!

Hey that's just Manhatten. Ok so maybe I'd just know my way around brooklyn and Manhatten

 

[moonmaster]

Yeah Hollywood does that all the time and results usually suck, likely be the out come for this film as well.

If they changed Superman's civilian, people would wonder why they did that, his name is part of the mythos.

Okay, then how about they don't change the names. I'm sure you know tons of white guys named Tetsuo and Kaneda.

 

[The Overlord]

Okay, then how about they don't change the names. I'm sure you know tons of white guys named Tetsuo and Kaneda.

Here's a thought, maybe they should be Asian and in their teens.

 

[moonmaster]

Here's a thought, maybe they should be Asian and in their teens.

And tell me what American movie studio is going to put millions of dollar behind that?

As unfortunate as it is, a movie with a cast full of Asian actors isn't going to make back even half of what it would cost to make Akira.

 

[Planet-man]

And tell me what American movie studio is going to put millions of dollar behind that?

As unfortunate as it is, a movie with a cast full of Asian actors isn't going to make back even half of what it would cost to make Akira.

Split the difference: Keanu Reeves.

 

[Random]

Now I've never seen Akira and know little about it, but what I gather is that it's set in a post-world world future and focuses on a biker gang. This seems easily translatable to US specially in New York. This is probably going to be a really big budget film and you have to remember that this film must have a proper return, not just from fans of the original (that's right you're no the center of the demographic universe), but from general movie goers. I don't see a problem initially with a hereditary culture change of changing character's name, a rose by any other name. Though I would be more interested in seeing a different culture on screen, having it set in Tokyo with asian actors, no token white guys.

Either was the initial picture I get with DiCaprio in a biker gang in the future has me seeing this as all kinds of fail.

Again I have not seen the movie, I know it had a huge impact on the anime genre, I'm just tired of everyone bickering for four pages over something that does not seem inherently stupid to me. So what do I know?

 

[Iceshadow]

If they changed Superman's civilian, people would wonder why they did that, his name is part of the mythos.

Not really, the only people who care about the details of Akira are Akira fans (which is a minority of people) who will most likely see the movie anyway just so they can legitimately ***** about it afterwards.

 

[The Overlord]

And tell me what American movie studio is going to put millions of dollar behind that?

As unfortunate as it is, a movie with a cast full of Asian actors isn't going to make back even half of what it would cost to make Akira.

Well then maybe this movie shouldn't be made, I'll pass on this.

This is more evidence of Hollywood's intellectual, where they will do anything for story ideas, even half baked retellings of stories from different cultures, instead of actually sitting down and coming up with new ideas.

Now I've never seen Akira and know little about it, but what I gather is that it's set in a post-world world future and focuses on a biker gang. This seems easily translatable to US specially in New York. This is probably going to be a really big budget film and you have to remember that this film must have a proper return, not just from fans of the original (that's right you're no the center of the demographic universe), but from general movie goers. I don't see a problem initially with a hereditary culture change of changing character's name, a rose by any other name. Though I would be more interested in seeing a different culture on screen, having it set in Tokyo with asian actors, no token white guys.

Either was the initial picture I get with DiCaprio in a biker gang in the future has me seeing this as all kinds of fail.

Again I have not seen the movie, I know it had a huge impact on the anime genre, I'm just tired of everyone bickering for four pages over something that does not seem inherently stupid to me. So what do I know?

What's the point of adapting something if you change everything about, why not come up with new story ideas instead? This Hollywood laziness to the max, I'm not even a big fan of Akira, but I loathe Hollywood's current lazy attitude to storying telling and story adaption. That's what makes me unhappy here, Hollywood has run out ideas and are resorting to supremely lazy tactics here.

Not really, the only people who care about the details of Akira are Akira fans (which is a minority of people) who will most likely see the movie anyway just so they can legitimately ***** about it afterwards.

I'm not even a big fan, I saw the anime once, but this just smacks of lazy story telling for reasons I already addressed.

 

[Jaggyd]

Actually to all you little douche bags who go "oh, it's only a name" or "no one would see if it, if it had only asian actors", then let's see the next Batman movie be about a black kid named Bruce Johnson, the story would be set in the Compton area of Los Angeles. Bruce would then dress up in a halloween Dracula costume after seeing his older brother get gunned down in gang warfare. Can you see where I'm headed with this? Just because YOU will accept substandard crap doesn't mean substandard should ever be acceptable.

If Warner couldn't reproduce the story faithfully (and we know they generally can't, let's take **** like LoXG, and Batman & Robin as great examples), they shouldn't pony up the money for it.


This is nearly as bad as the Voltron script that floating around where it's set in ****ing MEXICO!!