It is also the year of the Wood Horse. We are wishing everyone a year of prosperity and wealth. Play it smart and keep life warm hearted and you will have a great new year.
Since it is Friday and we all like to go to the movies, I decided to do this post.
There has been some buzz recently about live action movies based on anime or manga. I find this refreshing, but also a bit apprehensive. Seeing our favorite characters brought to life is great, but who actually plays the is another. We also don't want to see sad ones like Dragonball Evolution ever again. With these and the 2 Rurouni Kenshin movies that released last year, it seems like a run is on. I have to guess that Hollywood has finally ran out of ideas for movies and have taken a look to the East for some inspiration. Lets hope they grab the Robotech Fan film as this is really looking good.
Here is a shortlist of Anime/Manga based films in the works or coming soon to theaters:
AKIRA
Okay, this has freaking been going on way too damn long. Make the movie or not, but stop dangling that carrot in front of us. It seems that Warner Bros has finally opened up the books on this project again. They are even having Jaume Collet-Serra in the directors chair - again. They stopped the movie because it was going to be over the $90 million USD budget and wanted someone else in the that chair. But that didn't work, so they are asking him back. Production may start back up in the Spring of this year. Lets hope it isn't another false hope again.
Source: Variety
ATTACK ON TITAN
I wasn't too much into it as I thought it was a horror manga at first. But now that I have watched a few episodes on Netflix, it really is a great story. Toho has now placed Shinji Higuchi in the Directors chair. The casting is happening now and there are hopes that it will be out sometime in 2015. We all know this will be heavily CGI due to the Titans. However, if the Subaru commercial below is any indication of the Titans, it will be awesome. Now to catch back up on watching the anime!
Subaru Advertisement
Source: Rocket News 24 / Crunchyroll
I know we all remember the movie G-Savior from back 2000. If not, check it out as it wasn't a good (not great) movie. We haven't seen any movement since then on this franchise in reference to live actions. It seems that Yoshiyuki Tomino has teamed up with Legacy Effects (Pacific Rim, Avatar, The Avengers) to bring a bit of anime and manga based movies to the US market. All I can say is that it is about fucking time! There was mention that Gundam 'will' be one of these movies. No one knows what series they will pick, but lets hope NOT G Gundam (O_o). Whatever this project is, the release is to be some time in 2014-15 range.
Source: KDrama Stars
GHOST IN THE SHELL
It seems that since Dreamworks still owns the rights, they want to do a live action movie this time. Even with Rupert Sanders as Director, will they be able to pull this off? That seems to be the big question on everyone's mind. We all love this franchise and the characters very much. It is a legacy that can only get brighter with a live action rendition. I will keep my fingers crossed as I don't want them to screw with Shirow’s and Oshii’s vision. I just want to see the Tachikoma's rounding the corners with Major Motoko Kusanagi.
Source: Screenrant
KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE
This has been a favorite anime of ours since we first watched it. It is slated to be out on March 1st in Japan. From the promo's, I am happy that they cast of Fūka Koshiba for the role of Kiki. She not only looks the part, but also has the range of emotions that is needed for her. I am sure I will be watching this with my son when it is finally released to Blu-ray. They have added a second promo clip which shows more of the movie. They actually animated her cat Jiji which was smart and gives them more freedom. Can't image trying to get a real cat to do all that stuff.
Promo Video 2
Source: AnimeNewsNetwork
KITE
I am sorry, but when you have Samuel L. Jackson staring in your movie, it has to be great. Even he mentions how much he likes the Kite anime in this promo. This looks to be a dark and gritty movie which I feel is excellent. It reminds me a bit of The Matrix in how this is showcased.. This was a really sexual and bloody anime. What I have seen seems to show that they didn't veer too far off the path. I am still out on the selection of India for the role of Sawa. I am not sure why that is and will hold final judgement until I see the movie.
Promo Video
Source: AnimeNewsNetwork
That's what I could find, so please let me know if there is one that I missed. I did find this Facebook page called Live Action Anime that may help anyone find out more on these movies.
Is there an anime or manga that you would love to see come to life?
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