Live-Action Akira: Not Happening
Wednesday June 17, 2009
Now that there are no new ideas, everything is being remade. But fans of the 1988 cult classic anime Akira waiting (excitedly, angrily, or otherwise) for the live-action remake announced last year can stop waiting, because the project has reportedly died a gruesome death in development hell.
The project, initiated by Leonardo di Caprio of all people, collapsed after the departure of up-and-coming director Ruairi Robinson, according to the horror site Bloody Disgusting (which is enjoying lots of hits off what for them is a slightly off-topic report, as they did when they broke the story that the film was in development a year and a half ago). Robinson had been nominated for an Oscar for the sci-fi animated short Fifty Percent Grey.
The film, which might have been divided into two parts, was to have been written by Gary Whitta, based on the original manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. Whitta's current project is the futuristic Denzel Washington film The Book of Eli.
Considering that – while the storyline is certainly powerful – it's the revolutionary animation that makes Akira a landmark film in both the east and the west, the idea of a live-action version struck many as downright perverse, and many bloggers and fans are reacting to this news with jubiliation. Still, as Bloody Disgusting points out, an anime as innovative as Akira might just have spawned a seriously cool live action film that broke new ground in its own way. Either way, we'll have to wait for someone else to take up the challenge.
The project, initiated by Leonardo di Caprio of all people, collapsed after the departure of up-and-coming director Ruairi Robinson, according to the horror site Bloody Disgusting (which is enjoying lots of hits off what for them is a slightly off-topic report, as they did when they broke the story that the film was in development a year and a half ago). Robinson had been nominated for an Oscar for the sci-fi animated short Fifty Percent Grey.
The film, which might have been divided into two parts, was to have been written by Gary Whitta, based on the original manga by Katsuhiro Otomo. Whitta's current project is the futuristic Denzel Washington film The Book of Eli.
Considering that – while the storyline is certainly powerful – it's the revolutionary animation that makes Akira a landmark film in both the east and the west, the idea of a live-action version struck many as downright perverse, and many bloggers and fans are reacting to this news with jubiliation. Still, as Bloody Disgusting points out, an anime as innovative as Akira might just have spawned a seriously cool live action film that broke new ground in its own way. Either way, we'll have to wait for someone else to take up the challenge.
Comments
Damn it!