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Akira: The Hollywood Movie

A live action version of the popular anime movie Akira is coming, and it will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio:

With its mature themes and cutting-edge animation, “Akira” was a milestone movie in anime and mainstream animation circles, leading the way for anime to make inroads into Western pop culture in the 1990s.

The new story, which DiCaprio will produce for Warner Bros., ideally would be a two-part epic, with the first movie coming out next summer. The action will move to “New Manhattan,” a city rebuilt by Japanese money.

Are you looking forward to this movie?

47 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - February 21, 2008 at 5:13 pm

Categories: Otaku & Anime Tags: akira, anime, celebs, entertainment, hollywood, japan, leonardo dicaprio, Movies

sod

another anime thats going to be ruined by the making of a live action version and a hollywood one at that!!!
Montsan

KAAAAANEEEEDAAAAA!!!

But to be honest, a live-action version of Akira has a lot more chance of being true to the original than, say, a live-action Evangelion (which is always looming in the dark shadows…).

Still, Akira is great on its own and doesn’t need to be remade.
T-bone

How does a live action ruin the original anime? It doesn’t effect it at all except for maybe bringing it to the attention of more people.

http://surrealu.blogspot.com claytonian

You need to watch 6 Man After and make an apology to us all.

luxis

hahaha im waiting for my apology still

tomoko

NEVER
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

It’s going to be good with DiCaprio as the producer. He’s a stickler for details and studies heavily for his roles as an actor, and I’m sure that he’ll be sure all the angles are hit during the film’s production.

Kevin

I’d pay anything to see the live action version of that red motorcycle tearing through the city with a streak of tail light behind it. I so do hope this turns out well.

shazzb0t

Memo to Hollywood: stop ripping off ideas from Asian cinema and start thinking for yourself.

Thanks,

The World

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Memo to Asian cinema: Please make films right the first time.

Thanks,

Hollywood.

The Overthinker

You’re not serious, I hope.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Only for The Departed.

I tried long and hard to think of other films, but nothing would come.

But, DiCaprio was a part of The Departed, so, again – I have high hopes for this one.

shazzb0t

Pfft.. give me a break.

Hollywood is crap and The Departed is a joke when compared to Infernal Affairs.

But by all means continue to enjoy the terrible remakes and lack of imagination Hollywood is putting on sale for 10 dollars or so a pop.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

The Aviator totally ripped off Howard Hughes! Those bastards.

http://www.japanitup.com/ Steve

Yeah, maybe I won’t fall asleep during this one.

shazzb0t

?! Wow. I am shocked at how many philistines post here. I really am.
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

I’ve heard it claimed that the only people who use the word ‘pretentious’ are actually pretentious themselves, so I’m really torn here. Should I look for a different word?

Roaf

This will definitely be terrible.
But I’m interested to see DiCaprio swell up and explode at the end.

sod

that i would pay to see!!!!
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

He’s not an actor in the film, he’s the producer, so I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.

http://www.barnz2k.com/blog pete

OH no… please…
James: Is there anything we can do to stop it?
nomore

why Hollywood? I don’t mind a different studio, but why Hollywood?
Lucy

i think i am going to cry X_x
Beau Mccoy

PATHETIC!
Sykosomatix

…im kinda scared…
i honestly dont know what to think of this…
..i mean… im looking forward to speed racer.. but.. Akira?.. im so confused

shazzb0t

Speed Racer looks like crud in my opinion. Not quite sure why anyone is excited for what looks to be shaping as Tron 2.

David

NOOOOO!

Although I don’t think the original is that great. But the manga is fantastic!

BTW the reason Hollywood does these remakes in the first place is that american mainstream audiences for some reason won’t watch foreign films. In fact even European, Asian etc audiences are more likely to watch an american remake than the original.

I remember when I was in Korea and I saw the French film Taxi on television. It was the English dub subtitled in Korean! Bizarre, but I guess to the Koreans just like the Japanese America really is number one.
404error

with japanese audio and subbed and japanese actors ok but pls dont ruin an awesome anime…
morningstar

Why Dicaprio?

Ryan

He’s got the money, apparently, since he’s producing it. Oh, well, at least we know the guy has taste, regardless of the final product.

http://www.youtube.com/tkyosam SAm

DiCaprio is a great actor, so I am gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and just hope that he stays true to the so called “essence” of Akira.
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http://surrealu.blogspot.com claytonian

I wanted to vote for KAAANEEEEDAAAAAA!
http://www.neilduckett.com Neil Duckett

I’ve got a bad feeling about this one!
Joseph K

Few more details:
http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/akira-confirmed/

This isn’t really a remake as has been reported here. They are making 2 movies, each one covering 3 volumes of the 6 that comprise the manga. Apparently Leo will play Kaneda while relatively new but rather talented Joseph Gordon Levitt will play Akira. I doubt it will bear much resemblance to the anime, but the anime, out of necessity, took it’s own liberties with the source material.

Overall that doesn’t sound entirely without potential. It’ll obviously be set in the future, but I can’t wrap my head around taking the details of a story that deals with very Japan-specific social issues and transplanting them to an American setting. The character’s names is a barrier in itself.
tim argetsinger

it will never make the transition or capture the feeling and magic of the original…the warm tones, the japanese, the impossible city-scapes…i could never see this on film in real time or set anywhere else but in japan. fuck leo.

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

You’ve got a very narrow window of creative thought, if you’ve got one at all.

tim

hollywood and creative in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

kaneda

It cannot be in new Manhattan. It is profanity to an original. 。 which should change a title if you want to make the similar work Since AKIRA is a symbol of Japanese proud loneliness animation. Japanese Hwang does not expect.
bob

They need to use a real bike and not cg.

then i need to acquire said bike.
Kira

I never really liked the original anyway, but am against any remake of anything.
http://www.sketchplanet.com/tags/akira/ Akira

Why can’t they use the story of Akira – radiation, guy gets messed up and goes on rampage…oh wait that sounds like the Hulk movie…
http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

God, I love parodies!
shazzb0t

Without America, Germany would owned all of Europe and Japan would have continued to run rampant over Asia.

Historical perspective: Its kind of important.
sod

america would still have been a britsh colony so i dought that WWII would have been lost in europe or even started!
Kevin

Please stop.

Akira: The Hollywood Movie

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