sources: 1 and 2

Just... no. For the record, the guy supposedly playing Tetsuo was the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun back in the 90s. So... just NO. The Dragonball live action thing and the Eva rumours are bad enough, ok?

I thought it sounded really cool. ^^;

Except not, because Akira to classic anime fans is like what To Kill a Mockingbird is to classic movie fans. Which is saying just don't fuck with the original, it's already as good as it is.

The fact DiCaprio is behind the project already tells me it's a bad idea, while he's a decent actor, his producing/behind the camera cred is subpar, at best. Robinson, the director, has barely anything under his belt, so there could possibly be a distinct lact of directing.

This isn't me being all elitist bitchy, it's more like if you're going to remake something that has stood the test of time, get people with cred to do it. If someone did a remake of Citizen Kane I'd want the same thing. Plus with the Robotech, Eva, Dragonball, and god knows what else movie rumors, this sounds like yet another, "Hey let's exploit ideas that were already done because we're lame and writers suck these days." bandwagon. (see: comic books, children's book series)

I'm with Cody 100% this is a bad idea. If Tarantino or Rodriguez was behind it I wouldn't be so hostile but DiCaprio kills this for me and "New Manhattan" just nailed the coffin shut.

I'd still rather give the movie a chance, then hate on it now, especially since I feel this has potential to be great. I really don't feel that trying to make a movie out a classic is a bad thing, I suppose being a book geek makes you use to it. :P If it's done badly, people forget is happened, if it's done well, it's a lovely tribute.

Can it be a bandwagon if it's always exists?

Irritating none the less... but you can't deny that if it were to come out you'd watch it.

Well, it could be worse.

Be glad it's an American movie, and not being made in....

...oh, Nigeria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwVgvTRnzdE

I actually didn't think Akira was that great, though it was fun to watch in a group. (Fun time: call out "Freudian!" whenever appropriate imagery comes on the screen)

[offtopic]
I'm actually looking forward to the Ender's Game movie, if it ever gets made. Orson Scott Carr is doing the screenplay himself.
[/offtopic]

And Joseph Gordon Levitt was actually decent in Brick. Don't be too harsh there. Interestingly enough, his character in Brick was said by the director to be partly based off Spike from Cowboy Bebop.

OH GOOODD. That book hated me. I finished it when the rest of our class was supposed to be at the midpoint in the book. . . . and then I gave it to one of my teachers last year because she had yet to read it.

But, I have to say, it would be an interesting movie, and I'd watch it.

Hmmm the director of 50 percent grey... does this mean that its all cg????

I mean I thought that 50 percent grey was one of the best CG shorts I've seen, but not for the visuals, I really liked how it was written and directed... It was featured on the Animation Show, which generally is a very high quality group of independent/world animated shorts...

Akira though is all about atmosphere, its story is really cool but a bit of a mess, but the awesome thing about it is how it all flows, how its just a kick ass jam session of awesome animation doing crazy and weird things.

On the other hand, a CG Akira, that would suck... A live action Akira would suck, no one could pull it off - you'd need a director like Kuberick to make it work, and frankly a guy who did a couple cool cg animated shorts isn't going to cut it.

I didn't like the Freedom Project that much either, it felt like all cg Akira :P.

I'm very very very cynical about such a project, and think its a bad idea.

heh, as with many remakes, especially involving movies, it'll probably suck. Which isn't to say that it'll fail, because even though I think Akira was bunk a number of people are all about it and will go see this thing regardless. Kinda like games based off movies, movies based off games, games based off anime, etc. If the usual formula is integrated (meaning that it seems to be slapped together in about 2 hours, but hey it has the title of something people want [a la The Matrix]) then yea, it'll stink. If it's actually done with some thought, then it'll still most likely stink, but it might not.

It is indeed a bandwagon-related activity, even if it's always existed. In fact, that reinforces it. I'm just surprised that Akira is popular and well-known enough to warrant this kind of thing, classic though it be.

Hey, hey, heyyyy!
No hating on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, mkay?

Meh, I probably won't see the movie. I haven't seen Akira-- I always missed that one on Sci-Fi so I've just watched the shit they'd play on the infomercial in the late nineties.

...you bastards!!! This is why we can't have nice things!!!!

This better rule, that's all I have to say.

It's being produced in part by John Peters, the biggest bat-shit nuts guy in Hollywood:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgYhLIThTvk

It's going to suck harder than Traci Lords.

I can hardly wait.

Hmm Akira...All of that I vaguely remember since I was like eight when I saw it was the random scene with the murderous teddy bear...I think? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember having watched it back when the Scifi channel actually showed anime on saturdays and I remember being so pissed when they stopped...I mean X-men was cool and all on saturdays but stuff like that was far superior...

From what I hear, it'll be closer to the manga, but who knows?

I hope that Battle Angel will be win when it comes out next year.

Forgive me if I'm insane, but at the con were the random people smearing fake blood etc wearing smiley face masks from Akira? :o

I'm pretty sure they weren't but they were cool xD!

Except when they weren't.

I think the thought among the staff was that they were a-holes.

Grar, at least all of the fake blood/hair dye/whatever in the hell they were smearing came off of the walls of the hotel ^_^;