The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is Available for Pre-Order
[youtube id="TnnSQxOA_NU"]
Despite being a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan, my movie collection is sorely lacking some of his best works. Luckily, my patience (re: laziness) has paid off as Studio Ghibli is releasing The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set. The collection, which will be an Amazon exclusive, features Miyzaki's full filmography (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises), a television pilot for Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki's Sun) that Miyazaki directed, storyboarded, and animated in 1972, three episodes of Akado Suzunosuk (Little Samurai) that Miyazaki storyboarded, the uncut video of Miyazaki's retirement press conference, and The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Tomohiro Machiyama, a book that explores and analyzes the themes of Miyazaki's filmography.
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is going for $225 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon right now.
[via /Film]
Live-Action Naruto Film Adaptation Announced by Lionsgate
The insanely popular Naruto franchise continues to live on following its 15-year run as a manga. While video games and film sequels like Boruto: Naruto the Movie are set to come out (at the very least), but the franchise will be approaching new territories soon, as Lionsgate has announced a live-action film adaptation of everybody's favorite Hidden Leaf Ninja.
For those unfamiliar, Naruto is the story about an orphan growing up in a village full of ninjas. Overlooked and made fun of because of his lack of talents (and parents), Naruto trains and perseveres on his way to becoming the world's best ninja. In terms of popularity, it's typically been ranked towards the top of shounen ("for boys") anime alongside such series like Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.
Michael Gracey, who has done some VFX work on some upcoming films, will be making his directorial debut on the film. I'm guessing he was primarily chosen due to his visual effects work, as a film like Naruto would need a very dedicated and strong VFX team. However, despite Lionsgate's successes with adaptations like The Hunger Games and Divergent, it's hard for an American studio to successfully adapt anime into a live-action film. However, if the studio can pull off both Power Rangers and Naruto, Lionsgate could become the de facto studio for modern film adaptations.
As always, we'll have more on the Naruto film adaptation when developments arise.
[via /Film]
Frieza is Back in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Trailer
[youtube id="5z_nWwKBiRw"]
2015 has been a big year for the Dragon Ball franchise, what with excitement reignited over the DBZ follow-up series, Dragon Ball Super and a new film sequel, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'. While the film has been out in Japan since April, it won't hit American theaters until August. However, to help pass the time for those who prefer English dubs over Japanese dubs, Funimation has released a new trailer for the film.
Resurrection 'F' focuses on Frieza's return following the events of the previous Dragon Ball Z film, Battle of Gods. Frieza, as many may remember as one of the first real threats in the Dragon Ball Z series, is brought back to life after a few of his remaining henchmen wish him back from Shenron and quickly begins training to match Goku's strength. While many anime series have come and gone that have advanced and surpassed the level DBZ bring the shounen genre to, this trailer for Resurrection 'F' shows that series creator Akira Toriyama and his team of animators at Toei Animation have a few tricks up their sleeves - needless to say, Dragon Ball Z has never looked better than in Resurrection 'F'.
Funimation will be holding a limited theatrical run for Resurrection 'F' this August 4th - 12th, so check out the list of participating theaters and get your tickets now!
Watch the English-Subbed Trailer for Boruto: Naruto the Movie
[youtube id="PGiyDw3dOSs"]
Even though the Naruto manga came to a conclusion this past spring and the anime is still several chapters away from reaching its end, the Naruto franchise is still thriving with an assortment of video game, movie, and manga releases coming out in the near future. As you can see, series creator Masashi Kishimoto isn't going the Dragon Ball route of making fans wait to see more of their favorite shinobi.
Boruto: Naruto the Movie continues where The Last: Naruto the Movie leaves off by focusing on the new generation of Leaf ninja, specifically Naruto's son, Boruto, and Sasuke's daughter, Sarada. The film takes place years after the end of Naruto and is being tied into the Start of a New Era Project to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Naruto franchise. As seen in the trailer, the plot will focus on Boruto's training with Sasuke in his attempts to surpass his father's legacy.
Boruto: Naruto the Movie will be in Japanese theaters on August 7th, and while there's no current information on an American release date, I think it's safe to assume it'll be dubbed and released before too long.
Is Studio Ghibli Shutting Down?
Studio Ghibli is one of the greatest animation studios around. At one point, Ghibli was seen as the East's equivalent of Disney (and hell, many still do) thanks to the amazing vision and talent from Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. It's Miyazaki's many films, including My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away, that helped elevate the widespread acceptance and critical praise of feature-length anime films in the West. However, with the rising costs of production and the lack of financial profit guarantee following Miyazaki's retirement last year, the company has decided to go on a temporary hiatus as they re-evaluate their future.
Over the past few days, many outlets reported this news as Studio Ghibli completely shutting down. Thankfully, however, it was all a misunderstanding over a translation error. What is known is this: Studio Ghibli will be cutting back on production in an attempt to find a better financial solution that will allow them to continue creating films post-Miyazaki. After all, while the iconic director was arguably the most well-known from the studio, there are many other talented animators working for Studio Ghibli, including Miyazaki's own son, Goro, that will help keep the studio going for a long time.
Here's hoping the future of Studio Ghibli is just as successful as its past.
[via Collider]
Gus Van Sant Rumored to Direct Death Note Film
I'm not super familiar with Death Note, but with all of ShowYouSuck's references to the anime across a large number of his songs, I feel like I know enough to get by. The immensely popular manga/anime follows a high school student, Light Yagami, who stumbles across a notebook, the titular "Death Note." The supernatural object grants Light the ability to kill anybody just by simply writing their name down in the notebook. Developing a god complex over the sudden power, Light intends on becoming a god to this newfound world inhabited by people he deemed to be "good." A detective named L is alerted to the sudden deaths and investigates the murders, leading him to Light.
Anyways, Iron Man 3 director Shane Black was attached to a live-action Hollywood adaptation of Death Note back in 2011, but production on the film has obviously stalled, given the lack of news in the subsequent three years. If rumors are true, the production might have found a kick in the ass in the form of director Gus Van Sant. The director is rumored to replace Black on the film. The director is best known for directing Good Will Hunting and Milk, but he's also known for his atmospheric, arthouse-style films like Elephant and Last Days, which were fictional accounts inspired by the Columbine massacre and Kurt Cobain's suicide, respectively.
Given his resume, Van Sant would fit perfectly with a Death Note adaptation. However, this is an unconfirmed rumor for now. Death Note and Gus Van Sant fans: what do you think about this potential pairing?
[via /Film]
[Trailer] Gatchaman
http://youtu.be/LVKaIFxQa98
Before the Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, etc, there was the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Known in the States under the title Battle of the Planets, the '70s anime focused on a team of five young people with superhero abilities, complete with awesome, color-coordinated costumes. 40 years after the first Gatchman series debuted in Japan, a live-action film adaptation is prepping to be released in Japan this August.
While the film hasn't been confirmed for a US release (and will probably only find foreign import distribution), it's looking really stylized and good. Modernized with contemporary technology, Gatchaman should fill in the void left for anybody lamenting the lack of a formal Power Rangers film sequel. Considering the film was made in Japan, the fights should be outlandish and entertaining.
[via Flixist]