Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Lost. For. Words.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/nov/08/zac-efron-akira-shotaro-kaneda

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Suppressing... nerd... rage...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

I'm actually a fan of Zac Efron's work, I look forward to this Hollywood adaptation.

I'm less upset about Zac Efron, more upset that they're messing with something that's already pretty great.

Let us not forget the DBZ disaster.

As long as every other character is a perfect cast, I'll see it.

If anyone from High School music or Twilight is in it

I am shocked at you people. I am sure the signing of baby face Effron is all part of a carefully crafted strategy to insure both profitability and maintenance of the fundamental artistic integrity of the original manga. After all, its Hollywood, what could go wrong?

I hope T-Bone is looking upon you with shame right now Frazz...

Mr Mystery wrote:I hope T-Bone is looking upon you with shame right now Frazz...

battle Brother Lucifer wrote:As long as every other character is a perfect cast, I'll see it.

If anyone from High School music or Twilight is in it

Zac Efron is from HSM, IIRC...

I hope it's good, I just can't imagine whey they'd want to remake it. It's not that old, and it's pretty good the way it is.

I meant anyone else from HSM or anyone from Twilight

Frazzled wrote:

Mr Mystery wrote:I hope T-Bone is looking upon you with shame right now Frazz...

That'll be a yes then. With a bonus hint of confusion.

Well truth be told, it will be hard to for Hollywood to mess up. Their track rcored to date has been quite impressive no? Dragonball Z, Avatar, I mean if those don't assuage your concern I don't know what will.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Mr Mystery wrote:

Frazzled wrote:

Mr Mystery wrote:I hope T-Bone is looking upon you with shame right now Frazz...

That'll be a yes then. With a bonus hint of confusion.

Well he does have "Senior moments."

Ring, The Grudge, the one about the water ghost, The Lavender Hill Mob, Psycho, Star Wars 1-3, The Ghost In The Shell...

Kilkrazy wrote:Ring, The Grudge, the one about the water ghost, The Lavender Hill Mob, Psycho, Star Wars 1-3, The Ghost In The Shell...

Can you clarify, what are you trying to say KK?

Awesome remakes that Hollywood has done.

Le Cage aux Folles.

The original (aka good) Star Wars films were an homage to serial sci-fi, not remakes. I suppose there is a bit of an argument about the first movie being something of a remake of The Hidden Fortress as but you lose me after that.

++++This adaptation will be better than the original animated version. Otomos' meddling creative genius and epic vision will not get in the way of a lavish Hollywood production.

The subconcious undertone of japan's defeat in WW2 and the horror of the atomic bomb and the new age that it ushered in will be swept away, and I am glad this will happen.

I hope that Disney make the adaptation of Otomo's 'Dreams' next.

Long live Hollywood adaptations.++++

I can't tell if you are joking or not Mr. Burning.

Zac Efron in the lead role of an Akira remake?

Um... Hollywood... please don't kill it.

So Hollywood is trying to cash in on the nerd and 14 year old girl demographic at the same time. A bold move not seen since the days of Heath Ledger.

Too late. Efron has been linked, ergo it will be poop.

Like Uwe Boll crap.

Aiiieee!!!

Mr Mystery wrote:Too late. Efron has been linked, ergo it will be poop.

Like Uwe Boll crap.

See "Me and Orson Welles", then come back.

He has decent acting chops, unlike anyone in Uwe Boll movies or most of the Disney bullpen of teen heartthrobs.

As for Akira itself...

Well, it's like any joke where you have to say "You had to be there...".
It's not exactly something that was good to begin with without the context.

I see I was beaten to the punch, here's my take.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=29285

According to Slashfilm, Zac Efron is in talks to to star in the film. Well, maybe. "I’m not able to confirm the offer, but one source tells me Efron is in talks, while another says that it is “far from a done deal," writes Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta. Following up on that lead, Bloody Disgusting has heard Morgan Freeman is up for the Colonel. Sounds like steam is picking up for the film, at the very least.

I haven't been so happy since Saban managed to bring us the Super Seian shows without those funny looking foreign folks.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And here's my rant cross-posted from comic book resources.

Akira in many ways is a commentary on modern (well 80s) Japan. The whole deal of rebuilding Japan from the ashes of a nuclear attack and hosting the olympics is an analogy for Japan's redevelopment WRITTEN IN LETTERS A MILE HIGH. And the concerns about kids becoming hooligans and in some cases a literal different species are very powerful to post war Japanese. It's one of the manga and anime that went out its way to make the Japanese characters look Japanese, rather than cartoony or non-racial.

Moving it to LA or wherever strips of its context.

I mean the name of film is @#$%ing AKIRA! If you're going to de-Japanese it why not rename it Alan?

Anyway... Rant over. I still might see it but I really wonder what the point is of getting the rights to one of the most famous Japanese anime ever and making it all-American.

uhh who is this. Sorry I suck at anime. I watched every single season of gundam till it went bad.
But who is this?!??!?!?!?! Tell me! NOA!

Kanluwen wrote:

Mr Mystery wrote:Too late. Efron has been linked, ergo it will be poop.

Like Uwe Boll crap.

See "Me and Orson Welles", then come back.

He has decent acting chops

I'm having trouble putting those two sentences together in a meaningful way. It is akin to talking about Pauly Shore and saying "See 'Biodome', then come back. He has decent acting chops".

In all seriousness, he might, but I don't think he showed it in that movie.

Do I detect a negative opinion of Biodome?

Does anyone remember the rumours of Leonardo DiCaprio taking the lead in a remake of Akira set in New York? I wonder if it’s the same script being shipped around?

I’ve really got no problem with adaptations, plenty of them are perfectly acceptable, and some are even superior to the original.* I’ve also got no problem with young stars taking roles in movies like this - fanboys freak out whenever a celebrity is mentioned in relation to their favourite properties, they seem to consider celebrity and acting ability mutually exclusive for some reason or another. I’ve only seen Zac Effron in Me and Orson Welles, but he was pretty good in that, certainly good enough to yell ‘Kanada’ over and over again.

But I can’t for the life of me figure out how you can make Akira mean anything outside of 1980s Japan. In order to make it give it resonance you’d have to change so much you’d be looking at a totally new story.




*I saw Let Me In the other day, wonderful film that was superior to already excellent Let the Right One In, if only for the better performances from it’s young leads.