Live-Action AKIRA Gets a Screenwriter

Just a little update on the progress of Hollywood’s live-action remake of the classic Japanese anime movie AKIRA:

A live-action “Akira” film is on the way courtesy of director Albert Hughes (“From Hell,” “The Book of Eli”) and newly hired screenwriter Albert Torres. According to producer Andrew Lazar, the first film will cover the first three of Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira” manga volumes, with a hopeful sequel set to cover the next three volumes.

It seems that both the writer in the director don’t particularly have a lot of great films under their belts. It’s probably best not to expect much from this movie.

Heck, it might even be as bad as this:

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20 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - June 24, 2010 at 2:44 am

Categories: Films, Otaku & Anime Tags:

Ryry

As expected, then. Wonder what’s gonna happen with Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell?
Tony D

I like how the first 5 seconds of that clip are supposed to be a joke about America, yet looks just like Tokyo anyway…
RMilner

That was pretty good. Let’s have some more.
Joel

No please, make them stop! Don’t destroy the classics !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MrSatyre

I like how the (hopefully) intentionally mispronounced Kaneda’s name—exactly the way it was butchered in the Streamline overdub way ‘back when. I remember how everyone in the theater cringed every time someone said “Ca-nay-da!”.
daush

Great news!!
Albert Hughes “is the man” that can make this a good movie! Book of Eli is awesome! And Albert is a Anime/Gamer guy so he is probably the right one to do it ( do you know neogaf.com?? )!! Excelent News man, not bad at all!!

I didnt get the japanprobe joke. Do you know Peter Jackson?? Really bad movies, but a fanatic of lord of the rings, and you already know how great was Lotr thanks to him.

Lets expect the same from Hughes and Torres, 2 guys who love old anime!
daush

And dont forget that Torres is the screenwriter of “Henry Poole is here”! Another great movie!
Kono

NO! NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Speed Racer is already dead from a crappy live-action remake…now this?!?!
k

Nothing can be worse than Dragonball Evolution. If the guy did Book of Eli at least it will be visually pleasing, the story was crap though. I think the US could handle a good remake of Ghost in the Shell, but not sure about AKIRA… If they turn it into the movie Torque or biker boys im gonna strangle someone. I really hope they use the same music from the original really hope they use kaneda’s original bike too, not some new design.
Zerf

hollywood should just leave these things alone….adapting manga to movie never works, especially if it’s hollywood.

wonder what it would be like if pixar did it..lol..>.<

k

I’d say the only director that could pull this off is Ridley Scott. After all, he did do Blade Runner and that’s the closet thing in American cinema I could relate to manga.

Mr. USA

Leave the classics alone!
time

short Akira live action film done someone on youtube. do check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/eyetape#p/a/u/0/2ngOSHGYbhQ
Robin

Geeks.
Yitzy

I personally know one of the other writers on this. He worked on Children of Men and the 1st Iron Man too. I haven’t seen him in quite some time, so I haven’t been able to warn him that if he fucks up, millions of people on the internet will want his head.
Dan

Oh noes, if they make a really crappy Akira movie, then the old Akira movie will retroactively suck and my life will not have any meaning and I will have to commit seppuku.

Why Hollywood, why must you destroy my childhood?
Tchadensis

Speilberg is attached to the Ghost In The Shell live action film.
Thisisbad

excuse me but a live action Akira???? open your freaking eyes that will never Work!! who watches the anime version and thinks “Whoa man you know what that would look totally awesome in real life”

btw the hughes brothers suck, theirs no way they can pull this off.
Pat

I dont think thisll get to the screen this time, either. Apparently the studio wants a pg-13. The only director thatll go along with that, is one who doesnt give a hoot about the standard of whats produced,and whos in it for the money. Thats means Hollywoods Akira=EL SUCKO! Stick Megan Foxes bony ass in it too, why dont you!
If it even gets made, Akira will be crap, I g-u-a-r-e-n-t-e-e that much!
Soyok

haha american akira, what a disgrace will it be
i wonder will it be PG-13 or may be just PG

Live-Action AKIRA Gets a Screenwriter

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