Daredevil Season 2's Showrunner Writing Akira Remake Script
We all know the sad tale of the live-action Akira remake by now - it's gone through numerous rumors, delays, budgetary problems, and more since Warner Bros. acquired the rights back in 2002. The last we heard, Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra was on board to direct the film and bring the project's budget down to the $60m - $70m range. Since then, production was cancelled (yet again), leaving the film in limbo once again.
Fast forward to this week when it was announced that Marvel's Daredevil's Season 2 showrunner, Marco J. Ramirez, has been hired by Warner Bros. to write a new script treatment for Akira. Ramirez served as a writer and producer for the first season of Marvel's Daredevil, and has also written for Sons of Anarchy, Da Vinci's Demons, and Orange is the New Black (for which he was nominated for three awards). There's no word on which volumes of Akira Ramirez will be adapting, or if Collet-Serra is still slated to direct.
At this point, it's hard to get excited for Akira remake news, given how many false starts fans have experienced over the past decade. Once again, the best course of action is to play the waiting game to see if Warner Bros. is confident enough in the script to finally move forward.
[via IGN]
[Trailer] The Akira Project
[youtube id="t1GO-93Nt3c"]
Hollywood's Akira project has stagnated for years. Last June, concept art for the proposed live-action Hollywood adaptation of Akira surfaced, and it looked surprisingly great. Two months later in August, word came out that Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra was attached to helm the project for Warner Bros. No news followed until this past February when Collet-Serra shared his intentions to make Akira his next film while doing pressers for his latest film, Non-Stop. What's come since then? A whole lot of nothing. Surprise, surprise.
While Hollywood attempts to figure out what they want to do with the property, a fan project entitled The Akira Project began to sprout up on various websites seemingly out of nowhere last week. The crowd-sourced project consisted of around 100 people across 12 different countries pitching in to create a three-minute long live-action Akira trailer. As is standard of most "fan films," hesitance is expected. However, the production value is through the roof, with post-production on the trailer alone taking a year and a half. If this is all we'll see of a live-action Akira film, let it be known that it's definitely worth the time watching it.
Props go to producer/director Nguyen-Anh Nguyen. I hope the hype surrounding the trailer is the kick in the ass Hollywood needs to get their own film off the ground. You can read more about The Akira Project and see some amazing screens of the trailer on their official website.
Jaume Collet-Serra wants his next film to be Akira
Back in August, rumors surfaced when Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra was in talks to rejoin the proposed live-action Akira adaptation after leaving the project a year earlier. His return to the film revolved around his ability to create the film to fit Warner Bros.' rumored $60 - $70 million budget when earlier scripts called for upwards of $180 million. Since then, nothing of informative substance involving the film has come out.
However, over the weekend, Collider caught the director as he went through the press rounds for his latest film, Non-Stop, and the topic of Akira was brought up. The director claims that he's "focusing on Akira now" as the "powers that be are [now] interested." When asked if there was a budgetary focus he's prioritizing, Collet-Serra states, "“No, it’s an overall conceptual thing. You know, it’s how big the movie should be, you know, for the complexity of the concept.”
If Akira is, in fact, Collet-Serra's next film, I expect an ample (and equal) amount of attention and scrutiny to follow every step of the film's pre-production. Considering just how popular and embedded Akira has become in pop culture since its American debut in 1988, ranging from Kanye West's Stronger video on a large scale to Auggie the 9th's Akira-inspired #GAWS cover and RETROSPECT's "The Breakout" video on a smaller scale, each move and decision will be magnified with the judgmental lens of the internet.
[via Collider]
Live-action Akira film adaptation has resurfaced... again
Back in June, I shared some concept art from the thought-dead live-action Akira adaptation. For years, every time there would be some progress, the production would find itself halted without fail. Any Akira adaptation news is always taken with a grain of salt as it's become kind of a joke within geeky film circles. I mean, when names like Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, and more find themselves attached over the years, no real progress can actually be made.
However, news came out yesterday that Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra is in negotiations to return to the film after he was attached to it last year. What's different this time around is his vision for the film that can fit within a lowered budget. I'm skeptical over whether or not this will actually lead to the film entering production, as the on-again, off-again project has faced so many hurdles since the anime itself was released in the 80s.
For now, word is that production will begin next year. Will we ever get to see Tetsuo yelling at Kaneda yelling at Tetsuo in live-action?
[via IGN]
New concept art from the abandoned Akira live-action adaptation
Akira is arguably the most influential anime film ever. When it was released in the States in the late 80s, it opened the door for domestic anime releases. Without Akira, anime wouldn't be as popular in the States (or even really exist in such a widespread capacity), as it showed American audiences an alternative to the Disney animation style. Akira's influence has spread throughout all reaches of pop culture, from clothing to even hip hop (as illustrated in Kanye West's "Stronger" video).
However, since Akira's release, Hollywood has struggled to make a live-action adaptation of the film. A plethora of big names were mentioned for Akira at different points, including Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley, and Mila Kunis. Given the gravity of the anime and the difficulty to do it justice (let alone the technology and budget to properly do it), the project has been scrapped numerous times.
Luckily, concept art has been released to give a glimpse into the stylistic approach that could have been used. A lot of proposed liberties were taken with the script, including changing the setting from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan, which would have been occupied and run by Japan. Based off of these concept shots, the live-action Akira film would have kept the spirit of the anime alive. Will we ever get to see it? Probably not, but at least the artists were on the right track.
[via Crunchyroll]
