When Hollywood Attacks!

[renagrrl7]

Or, two movies that I'm interested in...

So, it's hit the blogosphere that Leonardo DiCaprio is producing a live-action version of Akira. Ain't It Cool? News and The Anime Blog are reporting the leads with DiCaprio as Kaneda and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Tetsuo. As both leads are great actors (I love Levitt from Third Rock from the Sun), my only

Comments

[_cherrywolf_]

Well, I think a live action version of Akira is an awesome idea... but I dunno... I kind of dislike the idea of having American blooded people playing Asian people. I mean, I think if they had to cast it, it should be done more authentic.

But maybe I'm just being elitist about it. I'll probably go see it anyways.
I'm still waiting for a live action Cowboy Bebop movie.

[renagrrl7]

I'm a little bothered by the inauthenticity of the story myself, but what if this makes people more interested in the authentic story, like the Akira manga? Is that good or bad? I think it's a similar argument as the sub vs. dub thing-- more people may get into the genre because of the "Americanization," but that's at the cost of an authentic story.

I think Speed Racer is going to be a real testing ground to see if it works in terms of marketing and whether or not it does well and tells an authentic story with Anglo actors.

And I reallllly want to see a live-action Cowboy Bebop, too!

[_cherrywolf_]

Well for Speed Racer I can understand American casting. But with Akira, something specifically set in Japan.... it makes me kind of frown with the whole 'New Manhattan' idea. That's all that really bothers me.

I guess what part of me feel is that it's weird for DiCaprio to be called 'Kaneda' when he is very distinctively not Japanese. I don't mind it, it's just part of me feels a little like weirded out by it... kind of how like Tom Cruise was "The Last Samurai"... ya know?

It would make one bad ass movie!

[renagrrl7]

You have a point-- it will be weird to have DiCaprio called 'Kaneda,' then again, they'll probably change the names, too. Hell, they're already calling it "New Manhattan," as opposed to New Tokyo. >__< The more and more I think about it, the more it sounds like "a movie based on Akira," as opposed to an Akira movie...Know what I mean?

Most definitely! :D

[vehemence]

Wow that's awesome about Akira. Sometimes it kind of bugs me how like, since Transformers was a big hit and Kanye West did that music video based on Akira, stuff like that makes anime this ~fad~, I'm just afraid America is going to pounce on it and suck it dry :| I'm not sure how I feel about American-izing Akira, it feels wrong but then, it's an American production so... idk ;_;

[renagrrl7]

Yeah, I actually liked the Kanye West video myself (and I've never been a big fan of his, although I did like his first album, College Dropout), not to mention the cover art for the album featured artwork by Takashi Murakami.

But, I agree with the whole idea of it possibly being a Hollywood-driven fad. The thing is Transformers was already seen as an Americanized story, whereas Akira is not. There's no history of it being in the U.S., outside of watching the dubbed or subbed version of the movie. I think Speed Racer's success, or lack thereof, will be the tipping point on whether or not an anglicized/Americanized version of an anime will work. Speed Racer has got a lot going for it-- hotshot and proven directors in the Wachowski brothers, big-name actors (Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox, and Christina Ricci), and the money for special effects. But, if it does poorly at the box office, Hollywood might reconsider its investment in anime and manga properties. I think, like most things, it'll be a wait-and-see thing. Besides, you can

[anonymous]

Maybe I'm being too glib here but, for Akira, that's the equivalent of making a Martin Luther King biopic and having Sean Connery as Luther-King.

[renagrrl7]

Personally, I think that's a bit of a stretch because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a real person, whereas Akira is a wholly fictional creation. However, I don't disagree that Americanizing the story is to its detriment-- the idea of a New Tokyo is an idea reused throughout post-WWII Japanese pop culture based on the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Granted, one could make the stretch that a "New Manhattan" could replace New Tokyo as the setting in a post-9/11 world, but I think it'll detract from the original storyline in such a way as to make it unrecognizable to longstanding fans.

Anyway, as far as lead actors go, I don't think the film would be nearly as marketable without American actors. It is inherently inauthentic, but it certainly will introduce more people to the Akira story. And, as any "cultural insider" (think punk rock or indie music fans) will tell you, that can be a really good thing, or that can be a very bad thing...

[anonymous]

The thing that made me peeved is the fact that the role of Akira and Tetsuo is played by caucasians. Don't get me wrong but, isn't there ENOUGH Asians in everyone's neighborhood already to warrant a representation in the media that isn't about sexy submissive girls, femme fatale, a geek, or some sort of sidekick role?

The African-Americans has certainly have representation in mainstream media. I am Legend, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, "gangsta rap" movies, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Cosby Show, all representations from all layers of society, from a suburban dad, doctor, gangsta rappers, etc. The only movie prominently featuring Asian-American are indie flicks like Saving Face and that movie about a bunch of Asian highschool student trying to make a heist.

I mean, I suppose I could say the same about Hispanic-Americans, grossly underepresented but, this topic is about caucasians depicting asians. So I ont get into that rant:P.

[renagrrl7]

Oh, I see what you're getting into-- how Asian-Americans are the "invisible minority." This has been an issue for ages-- a few months ago, James Kyson Lee mentioned it at a media event honoring Asian-Americans. Speaking from personal experience as an Filipino-American, Asians are seen as an "invisible minority" because we're so successful in integrating ourselves into mainstream society. That and we're seen as contributing members of society, no less, what with the cultural emphasis placed on academic success. Many have said that it's this successful integration that has left us out of mainstream minority issues, like those that experienced by African-Americans and Latinos

[sockai_chan]

Are you serious1? A live-action Akira movie? I think Hollywood is running out of ideas and/or are desperate.
I've heard of the live action Speed Racer movie in the works, but Robotech and the CG Astroboy?
Have you heard about the live action Dragon Ball movie? It's suppost to be out by August of this year. It's so wiered

[renagrrl7]

Yeah, the Hollywood Reporter broke the story yesterday. Sounds like it'll be interesting. The entertainment industry is absolutely running out of original ideas and so they're just recycling other pop culture properties and the like.

And I totally forgot about the DBZ movie! That'll be another interesting film, especially since it has a mixed cast of popular Asian actors and somewhat unknown Americans.

And, yeah, it is absolutely weird to see all of my fav anime and manga get the "Hollywood" treatment...Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't...

[pasifik]

The main images that comes to mind are the trippy colors, the uber bike, and pulsating head of a destructive blob man. I think I would pay to see a spoof of 'live-action' version of Akira, but it seems too difficult to imagine as a live-action. Especially if they change the setting and characters to apply it to America.

Whether a fad or not, I think that if they want to do this, they have a lot of expectations to meet. Most people will probably expect the worst. As for live-action Robotech, one of the first anime I fell in love with, I'd be dreading it, but still hoping for the best.

I guess it all depends on the adaptation and the overall outcome. It might work. I can kind of see it working, just not exactly like the manga or anime went. :sigh: Adapting to live-action is always a toughie.

Though, I would be interested in seeing how they would do a live-action "My Little Ponies" movie... >_>