Not even Scarlett Johansson in a skin-tight bodysuit could stop the bad reviews haunting
the 2017 live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell.
While the film should should serve as a reminder that adapting anime for the silver screen
isn't as straightforward as one would think, studios are still determined to keep trying.
A number of U.S. studios have anime adaptations in production right now, so strap on your
cat ears, pop open some Pocky, and check out these anime properties that have upcoming
live-action remakes.
Death Note
Based on the manga series of the same name, the original animated adaptation of Death
Note won an award for Best TV Anime in 2007.
A decade later, there are high hopes for the American remake.
Adam Wingard, director of the horror-thriller The Guest, has said that he's enjoyed the
freedom that comes with releasing his live-action version of Death Note through Netflix, suggesting
that their lack of a rating system means he's been able to incorporate all the madness of
the original.
The film, which is due to debut in August 2017, stars Nat Wolff as Light Turner, with
Willem Dafoe providing the voice of his demon companion Ryuk.
Which, honestly, isn't too far off.
​Alita: Battle Angel
Produced by James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel is an adaptation of a '90s cyberpunk classic.
The Terminator director was first introduced to the manga series by Hellboy and Pacific
Rim director Guillermo del Toro — who, knowing Cameron's body of work, thought he'd be interested
in it.
Laeta Kalogridis was brought on board to pen the script, and her personal knowledge of
the property helped bring the remake to life.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and on course for a July 2018 release, Alita: Battle Angel
stars Maze Runner's Rosa Salazar as Alita, a cyborg who's been recovered from a scrap
heap by a cybernetics professor played by Christoph Waltz.
Michelle Rodriguez and Jennifer Connelly round out the supporting cast.
​Akira
The Hollywood adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira has been in development hell for so
long that it's almost become a thing of legend.
But recent stirrings about the hunt for a new director have raised eyebrows again.
News of a remake first broke in 2002, but a mixture of script, casting and budget issues
set it back over the next decade, and it seemed to have finally been called off in 2012, with
Warner Bros axing it as part of studio cutbacks.
Rumors that the studio was finally ready to take things forward with Akira began popping
up again in 2016 when Justin Lin was set to direct, though more recent rumors place Jordan
Peele at the top of WB's wishlist.
So, has Akira been rescued from development hell?
TIme will tell.
Tiger and Bunny
Originally a one-shot published in 2011, Tiger and Bunny went on to be serialized as a manga
and then adapted into an anime series — all within the space of a year.
Producer/director Ron Howard was first attached to a live-action version in late 2015, when
it was announced that his Imagine Entertainment would join forces with Bandai Namco Pictures.
The story takes place in Stern Bild City, where people known as NEXTs have started developing
superpowers.
Given Hollywood's obsession with superhero properties, Tiger and Bunny could potentially
do big things, but Howard and Namco know that's a delicate job.
Screenwriter Ellen Shanman was given the task, who Howard called the "perfect match to adapt
this wildly popular story for new audiences."
​Fullmetal Alchemist
Unlike many upcoming anime adaptations, Warner Bros.' Fullmetal Alchemist live-action remake
is being shot with a Japanese cast, using Japanese language — which is a little unusual,
considering the story's set in the fictional country of Amestris, which is loosely based
on 19th century Europe.
Director Fumihiko Sori explained,
"I want to create a style that follows the original manga as much as possible.
The cast is entirely Japanese, but the cultural background is Europe.
However, it's a style that doesn't represent a specific race or country.
There will never be a scene in which a character says something that would identify him/her
as Japanese."
Japanese fans are reportedly fearing the worst for Fullmetal Alchemist, which was rated the
second-best anime of all time on My Anime List.
The film is due out in December 2017, and based on what's been revealed so far, it'll
closely follow the plot of the original manga.
​Voltron
Despite Netflix beating Hollywood to the punch in 2016 with their critically acclaimed, animated
reboot series Voltron: Legendary Defender, a live-action feature-length remake of the
classic '80s show is still being developed.
Voltron was the brainchild of the late Peter Keefe, who licensed the giant-robot-based
Japanese shows "Beast King Go-Lion" and "Armored Fleet Dairugger XV."
Keefe's team spliced them together into a brand new show with overdubbed English dialogue,
creating new stories in the process.
DreamWorks acquired the rights to a live-action Voltron film years ago, but when Universal
bought out the studio toward the end of 2016, the project ended up in temporary limbo.
More recently, Universal announced that they still intended to make Voltron, with David
Hayter of X-Men and Watchmen fame on board to pen the screenplay.
Still no word on who'll form the head, though.
​Robotech
Another US anime made from existing Japanese shows, Robotech combines Macross, Southern
Cross and Mospeada into a brand new universe for American audiences.
Director James Wan is a fan, and his knowledge of the series' origins should serve him well
in the adaptation's creation.
The film suffered a setback when rights holders Harmony Gold disagreed with how Warner Bros.
were handling the property and decided to shack up with Sony instead.
There are no official production dates or cast to announce yet, but we do know Sony
ordered a page one rewrite of the script.
So, how close will this skew to the original?
Harmony Gold's Animation president Tommy Yune said that we should expect something new,
saying,
"It's a clean slate.
It may share commonality in that it is based on the original series, however, the writers
are taking a different approach to it."
Attack on Titan
The beautifully brutal manga Attack on Titan had a whopping 66 million copies in circulation
as of April 2017, and that will only rise if Warner Bros. can bring their planned live-action
English language adaptation to the big screen.
The story takes place in a world where humanity lives in a huge walled-off city, which is
their last defense against the Titans, grotesque, man-eating giants.
Attack on Titan has already been adapted into a two-part movie in Japan, and not completely
successfully.
Despite the earlier adaptation's setbacks, Warner Bros. intends to remake these two films
rather than adapt their own version directly from the original manga.
Deadline reports that Warner Bros is locked in negotiations over the remake rights, with
Harry Potter producer David Heyman lined up to take charge of the project.
If the studio fails to strike a deal, others will soon be lining up to make their own pitch
and a Hollywood remake of Attack on Titan seems like merely a matter of time.
Naruto
In 2016, respected manga magazine Shonen Jump revealed that a Hollywood remake of Naruto
was in the works under the guidance of Lionsgate Studios and director Michael Gracey.
In terms of source material, the original Naruto series consisted of 220 episodes, and
Naruto: Shippuden aired a whopping 500 installments, so the filmmakers certainly won't run short
on ideas should this film develop into a franchise.
And considering who's producing, Marvel Studios co-founder and former chief executive Avi
Arad, that's a very real possibility.
If anyone knows how to transition from print to the screen, it's him.
Wary of superhero fatigue among audiences, he went looking for a new angle.
According to his son and partner Ari, they're working on creating an "incredibly visual
and cool world."
Hopefully the two will have learned some valuable lessons after what happened with that other
big anime movie they produced, 2017's Ghost in the Shell...
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