Cool News
No More Keanu For AKIRA!! No More Pre-Viz, Either!?
Merrick here...
Mike over at JoBlo has some interesting insight into the status of the live-action AKIRA movie that has refused to come together so far.
Not too long ago, we learned that Keanu Reeves was in early talks to star in the picture (details HERE). JoBlo is now saying that not only has Keanu officially passed on the project, but...
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.
All per THIS piece at JoBlo.
This statement from Warners attempts to further clarify what's happening at the moment.
"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."
A while back I encountered a similarly worded statement from a different studio (Sony) addressing purported troubles on Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 4 - that picture fully imploded a week or two later. I am in no way asserting the same thing will happen with AKIRA...just making an observation...
JUMP TO JOBLO for more on the matter.
--- follow Merrick on Twitter ! ---
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
FIRST BITCHES!
-
hahahaha
-
You know, that festival thing - with new films and stuff. Other than The Tree of Life. Anyone? Bueller?
-
if it transpires that he opted out in order to sign up for Bill and Ted3 this could be the greatest news ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
I still maintain that should a studio do this movie, they'll use it as a vehicle for some teen heart-throb and work in a love triangle (Kaneda/Tetsuo/Kaori). Mark my words, I called it first.
-
Akira is one of the great anime films that makes me still have a great respect for the art form. (That and the work of Miyazaki, of course.) That being said, I'm not in the camp of die-hards who scream at the notion of doing a live action version of it. We've seen over the past few years that the digital effects that would be necessary to accurately convey the devastation of the anime is possible to accomplish, but the heart of the story would still have to rely on the characters. You have to care for these KIDS for this film to work. And casting known actors in their 40s to play a teenage motorcycle gang is NOT the way to go with this. It could even work as an Americanized version, as long as they stick to the core principles that made the original anime so important. If Keanu pulled out because he realized it would be ridiculous to attempt this with adults in these roles, then I applaud his decision. Now, if someone in power would just drive home the point that the stars have to be believable as teens. And not some vapid "Twilight-esque" brain dead morons. You have to find some kids who can actually...act. I wish them luck.
-
The 6 volume Akira graphic novel is quite possibly one of the greatest stories ever told by mankind. I have lived in perpetual fear of Hollywood fucking this up. Kenada and Travis. Fucking puh-lease! Just let the the whole venture die already.
-
"Whoa."
-
No pun
-
May 18, 2011, 11:46 a.m. CST
Cast all white people, set in New York, but still call it AKIRA?
by gk1
Call it Alan...or Artie. Go for the gusto and call it Archibald. I mean if it "stays true to the spirit of the source material and characters" /bullshit
-
Please stop, everything so far for this movie sounds like such a clusterfuck.
-
should go back to his creation and adapt the original manga as a series of OVAs. Its the only way to be sure.
-
You disgust me...
-
Maybe the Japanese will pick it up and film it all on location in their earthquake aftermath. It will absolutely drive people insane because it won't just be movie distruction, but it will be actual, real Earthquake damage. The Tetsuo tragedy in the end will be all the more dramatic. I don't care where they film it, as long as it's in Japan with Japanese actors playing the roles. There is no need to Americanise this film. Let Japan make their own Iconic epic sci-fi disaster film and pwn the states. YES PLEASE! *nodnodnod*
-
Map it with CGI to give it the real-time rippling Akira magical distruction stuff. But when you see those religious fanatics hanging off the top of a busted-up bridge, it is a real, busted up bridge. When Tetsuo is standing in a crater after that goddamn lazer blows his arm off, it's a real fucking crater.
-
Akira is one of my favorite manga. The last thing I wanted was for this atrocity to get the green light. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a movie get canned.
-
Set the story in Japan in Neo-Tokyo. Don't need to have it shot in Japan, just need lots of asian looking extras that could pass for Japanese. A lot of the sets will likely be digital anyways. Make the movie about the end of WWIII and an American military presence in Japan. This way you can have a mix of American and Japanese actors. The Major can be an American along with a few other authorities, soldiers and politicians. It can be a thematic tie to real world events where American military is in other countrues and even parallell the debate about a continued American military presence in Japan today following WWII. The film can pertain to the Americans being ready to pull out of Japan and hand autonomy over to a newly forming Japanese government but of course there is corruption, roblems and the skeleton in the closet which is Akira lying dormant who was the cause of WWIII. Given an American presense in Japan for this film, it's entirely possible to make the characters of Kaneda and Tetsuo American orphans who lost their parents and were raised amongst Japanese, but are teased and hated as outcasts because of their enthnicity, which is why they stick together. and become delinquints and do form some close friendships with some other like minded Japanese boys. Child actors rarely ever work so maybe the characters can be aged to be 18 years old, on the verge of becoming adults. With a stronger American presense in Japan over the years arguably more of the people are familiar with English so it can be spoken, perhaps with a mix of Japanese with subtitles as well where needed. The rebels themselves would proudly want to speak Japanese and their case would not simply be against corrupt government, but also Japanese autonomy from American rule. This compromise can ensure a good story, that's faithful ideally, and will allow for a mixed cast that will let the main character be played by Americans while still maintaining all the Japanese aesthetics and ideals. In fact the movie can be written to show a struggle for two cultures trying to come to terms with each other. They should adapt the manga which I believe is what they're doing. They'll need at least 2 films, though I believe 3 films would suit them better. Just shoot them all back to back. Of course it's a risky one especially financially considering the budget required to bring everything to life. But if they propr it up as a hard rated sci-fi epic with amazing FX and 3-D, they could very well make a lot from it baed on good word of mouth. If WB is doing this, maybe they oughta give it to the Wachowski Brothers who are keen on sci-fi and respecting source material. The Matrix Triogy and Speed Racer show they've got the balls to be different and think visually. Akira would be perfect for them. Have them direct and co-write it with another great screenwriter. This isn't a hard concept to develop. It will likely be the best compromise, and the only downside is that it'll be a bit riskier than white-washing the whole thing, but sometimes when your movie gets hyped for its riskier approach, more people are inclined to see it so it can pay off.
-
"Katsuhiro Otomo should go back to his creation and adapt the original manga as a series of OVAs. Its the only way to be sure" I second this!
-
May 18, 2011, 1:04 p.m. CST
"The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude"
by Jaster
And that's why we shut down the pre-vis department and fired most of the people working on the film. WHAAAAAAA?
-
If they completely reconceived the story to be about adults instead of teenagers. Not saying that would be a bad way to go, just very different.
-
May 18, 2011, 1:09 p.m. CST
While we're at it, let's await to hear that reeves ahs been pulled from Cowboy Bebop as well.
by Stalkeye
-
May 18, 2011, 1:11 p.m. CST
Matrix's Joel Silver once quoted (during a press junket) that..
by Stalkeye
.."Keanu is so good with his martial arts training, that he could take down Jet Li." His words, not mine. (0:<
-
The movie was probably cancelled because of the real life earthquake tragedy in Japan. At this time WB most likely thinks it would be in poor taste to make this film.
-
Make the actors at the very least asian americans!!
-
The best news I've heard all month. Live Action Akira is a Goddamn bad idea from the get go. I hope this idea burns down to the ground and dies. Let the classic anime movie and the fantastic manga stands as a testament to this great epic, not a rehashed, half assed Americanized, bastardized cinema mess .
-
Might as well.
-
It would have to be a pretty expensive movie and while it does have a certain cult status as the only manga most non manga readers know, it still isn't that well known series. But dunno, maybe Cameron opens the gates when he finally, if ever, does his Battle Angel movie.
-
I don't know why.
-
By a passionate director and a studio willing to take a big financial risk on a passionate project. Frankly the only man who could pull off both the passion and finance would be James Cameron. Really the only reason WB is spending time in development for this is to discover ways to make this cheaper. I would honestly recommend that they get Otomo and some Japanese anime company to take a Tintin approach and make a CG film adaptation spanning 3 films covering two volumes of the manga each. I'd prefer great traditional animation but we already got that movie and it still looks damn good even today.
-
Akira's a relatively quick read, compared to other works of its size (2100+ pages), but it still covers a lot of story. I still contend that the only way Akira can ever be effectively adapted to the screen is through 26 25-minute episodes. That's a little under eleven hours: about five for the first three books, and six for the (longer) last three.
-
Keanu was the least insulting. Oh well.
-
Nothing against Keanu, but he just didn't work in that film. Please cast an actor who can actually play Constantine (hint hint Tom Hardy hint).
-
I agree with a lot of the above posters that this film or series of films would be hard as hell to adapt from the graphic novel, but it is the only way that it could ever work. Although I love the original film, it lacks so much of the story and punch that the manga did. Ultimately, we do have to care dearly about these characters and the situation(s) that they are in. To me, Akira is so much more than just apocalyptic scale science fiction. Rather, it is also a story of friendship, intervention, redemption, ethics, evolution, man vs god, and god vs man. The full graphic novel has so many layers, motives, factions, villains, and heroes that it is sometimes hard to keep up. It is so much more than just a little boy with the power of a god, and a new experiment gone terribly awry. For starters, in adapting the material, I think that the overall story itself seriously comes down to that last 100 pages. That is when Tetsuo learns to quit using the drugs, embrace the power, and embrace the fact that he will die but ultimately return. All the while, he is reflecting on what he has lost through it all; both his friends and his humanity. Then you have Kaneda, caught up between the lines of gang, military, helping his best friend, and also revenge for the terrible things Tetsuo has done as well. Then you have to throw in the side tails, meddling, and plot twists of the espers, the colonal, Lady Miyako, the doctors and scientists, the melding of the clown and capsule gang in the wake of Neo Tokyo's initial destruction, and the love story between Kay and Kaneda and Tetsuo and Kaori. All of that, and you still have to give the character of Akira the screen time to shine through his menacing quietus in a way that we realize he is so much more than a cute little kid that just awoke from a deep slumber. Honestly, every single character throughout the story deals with a metric ton of stuff all so that last glorious full page panel brings the story full circle, and you know that all is well. That is how I see Akira, and adapting it comes down to understanding and reflecting upon those last 100 pages and the ending. It is insanely heady and heavy stuff that literally folds back upon itself. In my view, unless you are going to make a sweeping epic trilogy of films akin to Lord of the Rings, you are never going to ever get all of that. At least that is the way I see it. Though, that is the thing. Akira (the manga) is nowhere near as popular or read as Tolkien, and the rabid fanbase is much smaller. Even if it had a huge fanbase like Star Wars or Transformers it wouldn't make a difference. Just look at what happened to those franchises. Sure, they are popular but so much further from their original source material, and even LOTR isn't perfect either. Though, I would say LOTR is the closest to embracing the picture that many of us had in our heads of what the characters and realms of middle earth would be like. The thing is that it is all right there. The producers, director, and art department of this movie basically have a 2500+ page storyboard of the entire film series right there in front of them. They've also got pages and pages of dialogue at their disposal, character and tech designs, and even an addendum describing some of the side points and locations within the overall story. They've got basically all of the pre production work done for them thanks to one man, Katsuhiro Otomo, and all they have to do is adapt it, but in true Hollywood fashion they seemingly keep finding ways to fuck it up. That is astounding to me. How hard is it to actually sit down, highlight areas of the comic that can stay and those that can leave, and whittle it down to something that will work on screen? It really doesn't seem that hard, but I'd imagine that the hard part is finding people whom actually understand and want to do justice to the source material. To me, that is why LOTR worked so well. Jackson and the rest of his crew were fans of the source material and wanted to dedicate themselves to doing the best adaptation possible of it. So, in the end it comes down to whether or not WB or someone else is just going to go for quick cash grab or actually make something that will be remembered for decades to come. I honestly hope that they go with the latter, because if done properly, it could very well be epic and loved for years to come. It is nice to dream I guess. End of rant.
-
May 18, 2011, 4:19 p.m. CST
Yes! One Step Closer To KILLING This White-Washed/Americanized ABOMINATION Once And For All!
by NeonFrisbee
THANK FUCKING GOD!
-
There's no need to remake the animated feature unless you're going to tackle the original Manga itself and, well, that could be a mini-series. An overseas co-production like John Woo's APPLESEED:EX-MACHINA might be the way to go, but it's really a matter of finding a 'visionary' team which could tackle a project that was daunting for Otomo himself over 20 years ago. I'd rather this project just keel over and die instead of some big-budget condensed-plot CG-fest with known actors intended to draw some type of opening weekend audience.
-
Hell, you could get the entire cast of "Crows Zero" for the price of one Keanu.
-
May 18, 2011, 5:19 p.m. CST
Here is a rough summary of how a Trilogy of films based on the manga should go:
by GroolDemon
Film 1: The destruction of Tokyo, and the rise of Neo Tokyo from the ashes. The capsule gang, their relationships, and their battles against the clown gang. Tetsuo's accident with Takashi and his awakening power through the experiments. Kaneda and Kay meet, their fledgling relationship, and trust/mistrust issues. Political unrest and a nation of people that believe don't believe in the story told to them about WWIII from their media and government. Tetsuo's escape from the hospital, withdrawal from the drugs, and his eventual power struggle with Kaneda. Tetsuo becomes leader of the clowns, and eventually kills Yamagata, Kaneda shoots Tetsuo but he lives. Now they hate one another. Tetsuo learns he is not the only one and escapes again to find Akira. Akira is awoken by Tetsuo, Tetsuo is seemingly killed, and Kay and Kaneda find there is a much larger power struggle around this child than they could possibly imagine. The introduction of Lady Miyako's religious faction and the coup which leads to the Colonal's rise to power. Kay and Kaneda are backed into a corner with Akira between the factions of government and religious fanatics. Film ends with the death of Takashi which sends Akira over the edge. Film 2: Neo Tokyo's destruction and Kaneda disappears, and is thought dead. Akira vanishes and is found by Tetsuo. Tetsuo rebuilds his missing arm. Tetsuo builds an army from the survivors and begins training and ruling over them as their god. The media blackout, and differing of opinions between what has happened, and who has done what. Lady Miyako cares for the espers and trains Kay to help her with her own nascent abilities. Tetsuo's struggle with addiction, his fledgling relationship with Kaori, and the fact that he is having trouble containing the power growing within him. Tetsuo's struggles between Lady Miyako's faction, the Japanese government, and American special forces. Kaori's death and Tetsuo's furious anger. Kaneda's return in the wake of Tetsuo's wrath, his meeting with old friends, where he has been, what he has seen, what must be done, and the rallying of the troops. Tetsuo's fear of Akira after looking into his mind, and his eventual understanding that he must learn to control the power. Tetsuo's show of power to the world and the devastation of the moon, and his eventual understanding with Akira. In the wake of the moon's destruction, everyone now rallies for the final battle. Film 3 Film 3 just has to be a roller coaster ride to the end. One long ass epic battle which ends with Akira understanding he still has his humanity and friends, Kaneda realizing that Tetsuo had no choice, Tetsuo realizing he has a choice, and Akira, the esper's, Lady Miyako, the Colonal, Kaneda, and Kay all coming together to even out the imbalance of power that Tetsuo has brought forth into our universe. Kaneda's travels from the beginning to the end of time, and everything inbetween. Kaneda's meeting with his past self, Tetsuo's past self, and the past selves of Miyako, the esper's, and Akira. The realization that Tetsuo and Akira are both capable of destruction and creation. The birth of a new universe and the further destruction of what is left of Neo Tokyo. Kay pulls Kaneda from the wake of destruction, and the esper's are able to use their abilities to save whom is left while they are engulfed by Akira and Tetsuo's power. Fade to black. Open to the UN, Nato, and ships arriving to provide effort and relief. Kaneda and everyone turn them down. Rather, they have something to show their visitors. Shocked, and ready to open fire, they watch as Kaneda and his crew simply turn their backs so they can ride off towards the destroyed city on their motorcycles. Kaneda's final words with the Colonal, the Colonal's realization that he is an old man and that it is time to pass the world to the young generation and trust them in their endeavors. Kaneda, riding his motorcycle and with Kay embracing his back, is joined by his friends and the spirits of Tetsuo, Akira, and the esper's riding next to him as the destruction begins rising around them. The final shot is of the city literally rising anew from the destruction as the path is cleared in front of them. The End, roll credits.
-
http://www.mangareader.net/101/akira.html
-
I'm still waiting for someone to make a joke about fans dodging a bullet on the casting. Also, Akira is probably the best manga I have ever read. Blade of the Immortal is second, mostly because of the artwork and less because of the story. But nothing I've read has come close to the depth and general poignancy of Akira.
-
"there is an earthquake in AKIRA??" by [dioxholster] Not technically. But it is almost expressed that Tetsuo could move the ground and destroy buildings with the snap of his fingers. With a bit of movie-magic and such, real life Earthquake destruction might be just the key to make those scenes work. The end effect would be akin to Capone's reaction to Transformers 3..seeing their beloved place of residence utterly destroyed. Of course, the sad and scary thing about this case is that it actually happened for real. Which would make it all the more surreal, and almost an homage to the people of Japan.
-
I enjoyed those posts.
-
Sorry to hear people out of work, but glad for the news.. now go create something NEW.
-
So Say We All.
-
Animated!! It can be done now and look amazing.
-
I do what I can.
-
is it me or is Warner Bros the biggest cluster fuck of a studio that ever was.
-
Notice: The FILM version. It was fun. It wasn't the comic, but it worked pretty well. I just don't see this being done well as a live-action. Sort of like they messed up Wicked City.
-
No one wants it and no one needs it.
-
KANEDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
TETSUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
-
It simply isn't needed, in the same way the Eva film isn't need. They won't find a market among the general population but the original fans won't thank them, either. Akira is finally getting a standalone, regular price Blu-Ray here in Japan next month (until now you needed to buy it with the DVD included, and it was $100) and there is still the third of the new Eva animated films to look forward to. That's enough. Shit, let's be honest. Anime steals for anime so much anyway. Just borrow some of the ideas and themes (e.g. giant fucking robots!), but put a totally new name / spin on it that suits Hollywood cinema. Much better idea... but then it would be a new IP, and we know how much the suits seems to hate those...
-
When a cinematic experience that is completely effective at every level exists- we don't need another version. We don't need a version where Charles bronson is Jason strathum and doesn't get poisoned but instead does a roll and escapes to kick ass in the mechanic 2.
-
May 19, 2011, 6:01 a.m. CST
We have no choice, General Calrissian! Our cruisers can't repel an exploratory process of that magnitude!
by GoodTimeBobby
-
Dude....suggesting that Japan should capitalise on it's recent disatsers, which not only took lives, but will take the fine people of Japan decades to recover from.....by filming a live action Akira on it's sites of destruction....because it would somehow make it more real surreal, or some kind of "homage" to the people of Japan.... ...well, it's about one of the most tasteless suggestions I've ever read. ...Think you need to check your outlook on the world fella.
-
I'll be glad to see the back of this so-called 'project'.
-
Seriously. Akira is the film that almost single-handedly put Anime on the map for American audiences. Akira is not only a disaster film but a psychological drama. The film should be their prized gem to be proud of. If they filmed Akira 100% in Japan with all Japanese Actors in and around the damaged areas, and gave huge chucks of the proceeds to the help rebuild and repair and fund families.. it will not only be a homage to those people, but to how powerful Anime is to them. Anime is fused into Japanese pop-culture so much that the music is usualy sung by superstars there (shoutcast J-Pop in your Winamp and you will see how many Anime channels there are there). Granted, people are sensative, but if they did this right, tastefuly, and with all the proper politics in place, this could be a huge achievement for Japan, and could eve help put them back on the map both culturaly and financialy.
-
May 19, 2011, 1:54 p.m. CST
For all those complaining about the "Americanization" of Akira
by Jaster
Your real beef is with Otomo and all the other anime creators because THEY are the ones constantly anglicizing their characters. Let's face facts, Kaneda and all then other characters in Akira ARE ANGLO! They have pale white skin and big, round, sometimes BLUE eyes! So again, if you don't like that, talk to the creators. Don't bitch about an American studio mimicing the look the creators gave them.
-
I just went and watched the trailer for Akira and I'm wrong. It's one of the few anime titles that DOESN'T anglicize it's characters. I mean, the eyes are pretty big and round, but aside from that their hair and skin color definitely looks asian.
-
Who thought Akira was a really crappy movie? There are FAR better Anime movies to adapt out there that don't require the viewer to be high to overlook all the completely insane stuff that happens for no reason.
-
That's the most amusing piece of self-pwnage I've seen in a while. You absolute tit.
-
He's already in the 47 RONIN as a samari and that's wierd enough. Then he was offered the lead in AKIRA? I'm glad he backed out of it. Nothing against Keanu I've always been a fan of his movies.
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 124 total posts 92 posts
- Holy Crossover!! Magneto’s Boy Quicksilver To Speed About In Whedon’s AVENGERS 2 And Singer’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?? -- 245 total posts 33 posts
- That rumor about Sony selling SPIDER-MAN? Don't you believe it for a second! -- 444 total posts 16 posts
- Papa Vinyard thinks that HANGOVER: PART III was a paycheck grab for a buncha people who are already rich!! -- 190 total posts 15 posts
- A review of Refn and Gosling's ONLY GOD FORGIVES, direct from Cannes!! -- 32 total posts 13 posts
- Ron Howard's latest trailer sure is a RUSH!!! -- 42 total posts 13 posts
- Next on the Reboot assemblyline? TIMECOP!! -- 154 total posts 12 posts
- The METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER Teaser! -- 197 total posts 12 posts
- Green-Band and Red-Band trailers for the new Jason Sudeikis & Jennifer Aniston VACATION ripoff, WE'RE THE MILLERS are here!! -- 104 total posts 12 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 1416 total posts 9 posts