"blade runner meets city of god": the akira live action movie is now official
Firstshowing reports that the AKIRA live-action movie [tagged] has been given the official-GO, with 2 films planned - with the first movie aiming for a summer 2009-launch!described as "Blade Runner meets City of God" (man, what a pitch!) - the film is primarily going to be adapted from anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo's graphic novel more than the original 1988 anime movie, with each movie based on 3 of the 6 volumes of Otomo's graphic novels.
as blogged previously, Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson will helm the movies, while CBR reports that Leonardo DiCaprio "will produce the Warner Bros. film via his Appian Way company, with writer Gary Whitta (former Editor-in-Chief, PC Gamer) penning the screenplay." ... Greg Silverman is overseeing for Warners. Otomo is executive producing. Legendary Pictures is co-financing.
Hollywood Reporter mentions that the new story will take place in "New Manhattan," 'a city rebuilt by Japanese money', instead of the Neo-Tokyo we all lurved in the manga.
and while i have no disillusions the product may deviate far from what we have come to lurve (speaking for myself, of coz), so too am i looking forward to a new envisioning / variation of the core-story, becoz frankly to totally adapt the existing manga or anime may be a tad boring (reads sacrilegious, i know!) or "been-there-done-that", and.or worst case happenstance? = defile the animation, IMHO - but hey, if it's done well? it would def be a real kicker, and of coz eventual cashcow for toys ... heh :pdo you folks agree or disagree?
