Every so often, an Anime series or movie comes along that not only steals my heart, but proves itself to be an incredible time vampire. Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 and PRINCESS MONONOKE instantly come to mind when I think of quality material, but there is one other that never ceases to amaze me every time I see it. AKIRA is an astounding film that reached great successes worldwide, and been a precedent for quality anime.
The ball has been rolling on a live-action adaptation for a while, but now we know it is really rolling as they have picked up a screenwriter to put it in ink.
The man hired to do the job is Albert Torres, who previously wrote HENRY POOLE IS HERE starring Luke Wilson. This is a pretty lofty goal for any screenwriter, as most fans have very strong opinions about the beloved film. It’s going to be hard to please everyone.
WB seems to also want us to realize that they see the film as a franchise, and not just a single film. This could be pretty pleasing to fans of the original Manga as they might stick closer to that, instead of just the 1988 anime film.
Still, this film is going to be a hard sell to mainstream audiences, so let’s hope they’ll catch on. I’ll be sending Torres my best thoughts, as he’s got one hell of a job ahead of him. If it gets pulled off, then AKIRA very well could become massive to a whole new generation.
Source: Collider, via Cinemablend
John Mulhern Writes 