A seminal piece of anime filmmaking, Katsuhiro Otomo’s adaptation of his own manga source material is a landmark title in Japanese cinema. If you haven’t seen it, it’s well worth digging out, its heady mix of dystopian paranoia and heart-pounding action setting the template for many a sci-fi epic to come. Liked The Matrix? Chances are you’ll love Akira.
Set in Neo-Tokyo in a world in which a third global conflict has ravaged Japan as we know it, Akira tells the story of a pair of disaffected youths, Kaneda and Tetsuo, as they struggle to make their way in a city terrorised by violent gangs and stalked by shady government suits. When the latter becomes embroiled in a secret government programme known as Akira, Kaneda finds himself forced to battle through all manner of violent confrontations in order to aid his wayward friend.
Mingling body-shock horror with psychic spookiness, all played out against the violent backdrop of a city in turmoil, Otomo’s epic was a genuinely groundbreaking piece of animated storytelling. Having initially struggled at the US box office (both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg dismissed the project as “unmarketable”), the film found an audience on VHS, and would become something of a cult classic, gradually paving the way for anime filmmakers to reach a non-Japanese audience.
Quite a significant film then, and one that any remake would have its work cut out doing justice to. Although try telling Warner Brothers that…
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Comments
DonisFun
Apr 7th 2011, 7:50
This sounds dreadful, I hate the Hughes Brothers, then finding out it has to be PG-13, then also finding out that either Zac 'Sad Gimp' Efron or Robert 'Flatface' Pattinson might be in it, it's turned my stomach to the point I need a s**t.
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Sifi83
Apr 7th 2011, 9:51
If it ain't broke don't fix it. The idea of a re-make (if you can call it that) of this film offends me.
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Hadouken76
Apr 7th 2011, 9:53
George Lucas thinks it was 'unmarketable' ...hahaha... Hey George! Howard the DUck! Hey George! Original Star wars...but with bad CGI Jabba the Hutt inserted! Hey George! Darth VAder as an 8yr old! Hey George! Indiana Jones with Shia LeBeouf! Hey George! All your mates have won a Best Picture Oscar, wheres yours? Exactly! Bwahahaha
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Barjavel
Apr 7th 2011, 10:55
This sounds absolutely dreadful.
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ChrisWootton
Apr 7th 2011, 11:25
Nice one Hadouken.. Hey George! Midichlorians! Hey George! Jar Jar Binks! Hey George! Midi-f*****gchlorians!
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Vampyre
Apr 7th 2011, 13:40
Oh my God!!!. this is the most dreadful idea i have ever heard, why is this being allowed, i think i shall write a stern letter to someone. The americans really have no clue do they. No wonder they're not allowed to attached plugs to their own appliances. Yo will indeed jibe at george lucas, but i think what he's saying hold some truth , a main stream audience , could nevet accept Akira in its original form, thats why it became cult. Also would you like to note the amount of money george lucas made from star wars merchandise and then comment? love him or hate him, that guys very rich.
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writerdave87
Apr 7th 2011, 14:22
This sounds appalling.
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Frankie88
Apr 7th 2011, 14:42
The only this'll work is if they cast Travolta and Cage as (Mr) Kaneda and Tetsuo respectively
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Rrixx
Apr 7th 2011, 19:46
I'm up for the idea of a live action AKIRA, especially considering the full manga has never been filmed before. But this....I think I'd rather catch herpes from a dog than see this be made.
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DanRose
Apr 7th 2011, 19:55
My God... that got progressively more painful.... (aimed at WB) 'There is nothing big or clever about about who you are or what you do....
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bogman2099
Apr 7th 2011, 20:11
the only reason the warners were impressed with the hughses is because they are running out of time the rights will probaly expire for them if they don't get product out there,further more giving whats happening in japan right now it is an insult to there cultural heritage that america help create when they dumped two nukes on them in '45 the whole story of akira has echoe's of that history,this reminds me about from hell with johnny depp another reimaging of a finer work and just to stick it in the wachowski's (who buy the way have passed off thyre films as original ideas when they ripped off grant morrison's invisibles, to ghost in the shell and akira in the matrix movies)did another travesty v for vendeta,so in conclusion the only i might be peak an intrest in live action akira is if they got the real brotherly force in hollywood the coens maybe ......better than these retards who are involved or ripped off akira as there ownn......... CUNTS!
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Hadouken76
Apr 7th 2011, 21:04
Better not mention Keanu Reeeves as Sarky Scouse John COnstantine...To be fair to Wachowskis they were following a writers traditon of blending influences (which they credit) to create a unique universe of their own. The same with Lucas who purged Kurosawa's The HIdden Fortress, Hero with 1000 faces and every princess fairytale, JK Rowling did it with The Worst Witch, Tom Browns' Schooldays and the saturday morning cartoon Dungeons and Dragons..a well as any number of Diane Wynn Jones books about wizards...but to do a straight off adaption is next to impossible becuase elements will always be lost to fit the alloted timeframe, if they are too loyal to the book the film becomes cumbersome (like the first HP movie).
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Gav83
Apr 7th 2011, 22:47
If they remake this movie, and Robert Patterson gets the lead, I'm actually going to hunt him down and beat his a*s with a pair of old wellies I have out the back.
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therealeverton
Apr 8th 2011, 18:21
OK then. First I’m not sure why the word remake is used in this article when it’s pretty clear that they are actually making a new version of the source material, much of which was left out of the movie Akira because the comics were so long. Secondly can we please dispel the Myth of The Golden Compass? The Golden Compass was a hit everywhere but North America and a decent sized hit at that; the main reason there’s been no progress there is that New Line got folded back into Warner Brothers and they never really made any profit on the film because they sold off the foreign rights! New Line screwed that movie up by meddling with the script and then the film itself. The sickening irony being that all of their meddling was to make the film more palatable to noisy American religious groups, Catholic in particular, who New Line were terrified would condemn the film for the books’ perceived anti-Catholic and anti- religion themes. Despite the changes most Americans simply didn’t bother going to see the movie and it only made $70m there. It made $302m everywhere else, which would have been enough to justify continuing the series, in the hopes of increasing the audience for the sequel. If they’d just left the film alone it would have been a bigger success, but it was successful, outside North America in particular. That’s that off my chest; again. Back to Akira. A live action version of the Manga has always appealed to me; especially after The Matrix, Lord of The Rings and even Avatar showed the visual side of things was achievable. However, whilst there is a big following for the movie and Manga, I’m not sure the themes can be translated without a very good writer. Youth culture in America, even that side of it that people find frightening just isn’t the same, If anything the youths in Attack The Block, set in south London, make a much better “translation” than anything mentioned here. Plus, as much as The Americans like to make of 9/11 & Pearl Harbour (which were both terrible make no mistake) they really don’t have a clue when it comes to “fear of invasion and or annihilation”, Brits do and none can beat the Japanese.
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narmour1
Apr 12th 2011, 14:43
I actually looked to see if this was an April Fools. Sadly no.
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narmour1
Apr 12th 2011, 14:43
I actually looked to see if this was an April Fools. Sadly no.
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