Editorial: What Ghost in the Shell/Death Note Could Spell for Hollywood

 

When the general public thinks of anime, they think of blue haired teenage girls, talking cats, massive sex-appeal and fan service, and giant swords wielded by men with spikey and unimaginably vivid hair.
With Dreamworks set on releasing the Scarlett Johanson-lead, Rupert Sanders-helmed  Ghost in the Shell for April 2017, and the recent news of Adam Wingard signing on to finally bring the long gestating Death Note to life, things could potentially be changing for the comic-book movie dominated landscape of Hollywood. 

To state that anime has had a rough-spot landing landing in megaplexes  is an understatement. Looking back at the critically panned disaster that was 2007's Dragonball: Evolution to both ASTRO BOY and Speed Racer it's clear to see none of these launched a significant franchise, or even made a mark on Hollywood history. Despite the latter being as close to a live-action animation as possible, Speed Racer only mustered up about $93 million worldwide off a large investment of $120 million from Warner Brothers. 
Most recently, Tom Cruise starred in Edge of Tomorrow which opened to rave reviews, yet only made 27% of it's budget back stateside. 

Other notable projects that never made it were Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of the most critically praised corner-stones of anime itself, and AKIRA. Evangelion first hit the news in 2003, and then later some gorgeous concept art from WETA Studios (Fresh off of Lord of the Rings) surfaced showing some fairly dramatic name changes from the source material. Obviously something like Evangelion which involves the brutal murder and blood-bath of "angels" against human-mechanical constructs set against some intricate Christian symbolism would be a tough sell anyway.
AKIRA is another WB project that, despite several attempted launches, never made it off the ground. The closest it got was in roughly 2012; but WB still has those rights.

Recently, Sony has also dipped their toes in the water and nabbed ROBOTECH from Warner Brothers with  Gianni Nunnari and The Immortals' Mark Canton producing and screenwriter Michael Gordon writing the script.
 

So what has changed? Or rather- what will change?
Like the current landscape of big-budget release, which are currently young adult and cape-driven affairs, it took some time to perfect. Sure there were the X-Men, Spiderman, and Batman and Superman franchises (which all took very deep quality dips depending on who you ask); but there was also things like Catwoman, Ghost Rider, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, and many other pitfalls that some studios (and actors) would soon like to forget. It wasn't until The Dark Knight and Iron Man's one-two punch in the summer of 2008 re-ignited the superhero phenomena. 
That same fact could very well find it's way to anime, with Death Note likely to hit screens sometime in 2017-18 assuming everything goes according to plan, and be out with Ghost in the Shell, which brings the WB/Disney battle to a new media. 

One key thing that there is to consider in this bold new climate is the fanboys, and general audiences, willingness to accept new and foreign concepts. Looking at the giant-robot smash-a-thon Pacific Rim which eventually became a decent money maker at $400 million and was heavily dipped in "anime culture", or even Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy which of course became a major hit at almost $800 million, and involved a talking tree, a talking raccoon, a green alien woman, and a tattooed space criminal fighting against a giant purple space-Hitler. 

Also in the past these films had moved as far away from their Japanese roots as possible it seemed; but with things like Big Hero 6 and The Wolverine, it would seem maybe turning Japanese might not be such a wild idea, not to mention the anime-infused Saturday night block that makes Cartoon Network's Adult Swim trend on a weekly basis across social networks. With the "nerd culture" becoming a socially accepted norm in society, it of course wouldn't be too long before anime followed the same cultural notes super-heroes and videogames have, especially with Attack on Titan, Deadman Wonderland, and many more. 
A recent report from March of this year even showed that manga sales in the United States have conctinued to rise, compiled by Anime News Network:

ICv2 is estimating continued growth in manga sales based on statements from Viz Media senior director of sales and marketing Kevin Hamric and an overall 17.7% growth in comic sales.

[...]

Overall, the company's top selling series for 2014 were Naruto,Pokémon, One Piece, Bleach, Death Note, Blue Exorcist,Dragon Ball, All You Need Is Kill, Fullmetal Alchemist, andStudio Ghibli books.

It will, eventually, all come down to what people want to see, and judging by Scarlett Johanson's sudden rise as an action starlet with 2014's LUCY, a sexually-infused cyber-thriller with her headlining probably would be a safe bet for success. Death Note many years ago would have been a stranger sell, with it's almost maniacal protagonist wielding a demon-infused notebook; but if there's one thing that Dexter, Hannibal, Bates Motel, and Loki from The Avengers have taught us, as well as the similar character of Sherlock on the BBC, it's that people do love a psychopath. 

So once again, it's down to the wire. Warner Brothers certainy will have the bigger guns behind them, and more mature franchise pedigree (Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, Harry Potter); but it's hard to underestimnate Disney's ability to sell anything. 
If Death Note and Ghost in the Shell become runaway hits, would WB finally move on AKIRA? Would the interested in Evangelion come back? Could a network like HBO, which already has it's own manga-drama MONSTER inproduction, pick up something like Full Metal Alchemist? It could be a bold new world.

Only time will tell though...

DEATH NOTE Finally Comes to Life with 'GUEST' Director

 

It's been far too long since news of the American adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata acclaimed manga Death Note ran across headlines; but The Hollywood Reporter nabbed the exclusive this afternoon that Adam Wingard, who helmed The Guest and You're Next would be tackling the picture for Warner Brothers studios.

Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Jason Hoffs and Masi Oka are producing the project, which was previously adapted as movie in its home country of Japan, spawning a sequel.

The story centers on a student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name, who then decides to cleanse the world of whom he deems evil. As the student is tracked by a reclusive police officer, a cat-and-mouse game ensues

Shane Black was previously attached to direct before moving on to remake Predator for some reason.

Death Note was adapted into a Japanese live-action saga in 2006 and 2008, with a spinoff for the "antagonist", L: Change the World.
The anime series is associated with being one of the major power-houses that brought anime to American shores in the mid 2000's along with "Bleach", "Naruto", and "Full Metal Alchemist".

The film will join Dreamwork's Ghost in the Shell as the waters are tested for what could be the next race for "Comic Book Movie" gold with anime and manga.  

Prepare to Get 50 SHADES DARKER; Author's Husband Pens Script

 

The sequel-gears are finally, slowly, in motion for Universal Studios 50 Shades of Grey sequel, 50 Shades Darker (or so we assume the title will remain) as author of the novel, E.L. James, has enlisted her husband Niall Leonard to pen the script for the next chapter in Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele's dark and erotic drama.

 Niall is an outstanding writer in his own right, with multiple established credits, and we are lucky to have him join Team Fifty," says producer Michael De Luca in a statement to THR.

James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, has been credited with keeping a strong amount of creative control when it comes to Universal's adaptations of her books. On the first film, she clashed with director Sam Taylor-Johnson about many aspects of the film, including the ending. Neither Taylor-Johnson nor screenwriter Kelly Marcel are returning for the sequel.

50 Shades of Grey opened to lack-luster reviews this past Valentine's Day; but made close to $600 million off it's meager $40 million budget. 
The film, which sky-rocketed Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan to the league of "more money" negotiations for the sequel, had some known issues with Sam Taylor-Johnson departing from further entries along with screenwriter Kelly Marcel.

Does this slow start mean that Universal will miss another strategic Valentine's Day weekend for the sequel in 2016, or will we be seeing the next shade of Grey in 2017?  

50 Shades of Grey releases May 8 on Bluray and DVD.  

Disney Will Make a Man Out of You With Live-Action MULAN

if you walked out of the brilliantly done Cinderella earlier this month and thought "Wow, what will they do next?" and then your girlfriend (or mom) said "What about Mulan?" well, they'd be right.
While Beauty and the Beast finished rounding out it's leads the week that Disney's Cinderella openeded to almost $70 million dollars (now it has surpassed $300 million worldwide), and set the date for the classic 'inner beauty' tale in March 2017, Disney is losing no sleep on it's next venture.

Disney bought a script by writing team Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that centers on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the female warrior who was the main character in Disney's 1998 animated film.

Chris Bender and J.C. Spink (We're the Millers) are producing the new project.

The character of Mulan was promenintley featured on ABC's fairy-tale drama Once Upon a Time and of course the $300 million animated film in the summer of 1998.
Can Disney strike gold with the Chinese hero once again? Signs point to "duh".

While Maleficent and Cinderella were lauded for their girl-power, it will be fascinating to see Disney completley trade in the 'white' heroes for a Chinese-set Historical romance/epic. 

THE CROW Finally Takes Flight; Finds It's Lead

By this point in time, The Crow reboot has been back from the dead more times than it's titular character has.

After months of nervous waiting to find out the obvious that Luke Evans had dropped out of the stalling film, James O'Barr, writer of the original graphic novel, confirmed that rising star Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, BENHUR) will be donning the make-up as Eric Draven/The Crow, and Winter's Tale's Jessica Brown Findlay will play the character's deceased wife, Shelly

O'Barr has officially confirmed that it will be Boardwalk Empire's Jack Huston to don the makeup that will transform him into the tragic and iconic character. "Jack Huston has definitely been cast," O'Barr said, adding that he was "really happy with that choice" and that the upcoming flick "will shoot in a couple of months."

F. Javier Guiterrez, who was set to direct, has also moved on. Leaving Corin Hardy at the helm. O'Barr also said the cast would be entirley British, the Crow itself will speak to Eric, and that if a sequel is made, the lead will be female. 
Well alright.

Back at Wizard World Tulsa in the Fall of 2014, O'Barr spoke on what to expect from the film:

"I have a lot of control over this. It's going to be closer to an art-house film than an action John Woo-styalized thing. Parts of it will be in black and white, parts will be in technicolor- the happy parts will be in technicolor- all the violent stuff will be shot on 1970's film stock so it'll be really gritty and grainy so it has that Taxi Driver look to it. I ived 35 years in Detroit. Violence is ugly and I want it to be ugly on screen. I don't want it to be heroic, and I do not want it to be stylized, so I'm actually excited about it."

The Crow will begin filming soon. 

First Poster; Trailer for Ryan Gosling's LOST RIVER

 

Much in the vein of his director partner Nicolas Winding Refn, pretty boy heart-throb turned anti-art hipster Ryan Gosling plans on taking audiences down to a morbidly neon-light fantasy where anything and everything could possibly happen in this first trailer for Gosling's The Lost River, his directorial debut. 

Despite premering to reviews ranging from scathingly venemous to...well, a little bit less, at Cannes, Warner Brothers has kept the picture to distribute, despite reports that the negative buzz was prompting them to part ways with the Detroit-filmed fantasy that Gosling wrote and directed.

"Lost River" is a dark fairy tale about love, family and the fight for survival in the face of danger. In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, Billy (Christina Hendricks), a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together. Her teenage son Bones (Iain De Casestecker) discovers a mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and the limits of those he loves.

Formerly titled How to Catch a Monster, the film stars Saoirse Ronan (HANNA), Eva Mendes (2Fast2Furious), Lain De Casetecker (FILTH), Christina Hendricks (DRIVE) and Matt Smith (Dr. Who). Featuring a musical score by indie electro band The Chromatics.

The film will release limited April 10, and Digital HD/On Demand the same day.  

First Trailer for Crackle's DEAD RISING Movie

 

One of the more interesting video-game adaptations in development has been Dead Rising: Watchtower developed for Sony's Crackle service, which appears to be in the market of Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu's original programming which has become so popular in the past year.

The first trailer is finally out, and shows a refreshingly 'comedic' take on the zombie apocalypse, similar to the goofy games that inspired it- which are featured prominently in the trailer with their trademark weapons, psychos, Servbots, and 'Zombrex'. 

Rob Riggle (21 Jump Street, Let's Be Cops), Jesse Metcalfe (DALLAS, John Tucker Must Die), Virginia Madsen (The Number 23), and Dennis Haysbert (24, The "Allstate" Guy) star in the action-horror-comedy.

“DEAD RISING: WATCHTOWER” takes place during a large-scale zombie outbreak. When a mandatory government vaccine fails to stop the infection from spreading, the four leads must evade infection while also pursuing the root of the epidemic, with all signs pointing to a government conspiracy. Politics, public paranoia, and media coverage play an important role in the story’s narrative. “The Dead Rising” game franchise has sold over 7.6 MM copies worldwide. Publisher Capcom has sold over 100 MM game copies worldwide, including juggernauts “Resident Evil,” “Street Fighter” and “Mega Man.”

Dead Rising: Watchtower begins streaming March 27.  

RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER Eyes August Start Date

 

It's always a sad moment in Hollywood when a mega franchise comes to a close. In recent years such lucrative properties as Harry Potter, Taken, The Hobbit, and soon The Hunger Games have or are going to come to a close. 
Another one is about to be added to the ranks, as  Fifth Element and Ultraviolet star Milla Jovovich has confirmed that August will see the start date for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.  

Jovovich, always keeping in touch with her fans on social media, posted this to her Facebook earlier today:

“I’m really proud of myself for not gaining the same amount of weight that I did with our first child (75 lbs.) because I have to be ready to start filming ‘Resident Evil- The Final Chapter’ in August of this year and I will also be nursing an infant simultaneously.”

The climactic film was set to start shooting this past September; but Jovovich's surprise second pregnancy with husband (and franchise director) Paul W.S. Anderson delayed it for a then unknown amount of time. 
Several sites reporting the news have also mentioned that Wentworth Miller would be reprising his role of Chris Redfield for the film; but this has yet to be confirmed by an official source.

The sci-fi/horror/action series, based on the wildly popular Capcom video-game series, began in 2002 with Resident Evil and spawned 4 more sequels, and has amassed over $915 million world-wide, with the most recent installment, Resident Evil: Retribution collecting over $240 million in 2012.  

The Final Chapter is expected to bring everything "full circle" and see a return to the infamous HIVE that gave birth to the T-virus which started it all. 

Expect to see Alice and friends kick ass in September 2016. 

First Images of Viking-Esque Leonardo DiCaprio in THE REVENANT

 

Teaming up with hot-commodity director Alejandro González Iñárritu, fresh off the overwhelming critical praise of BIRDMAN and praise of Iñárritu's own unique way of filming the drama as "one continuous shot", Not-Oscar Winner Leonardo DiCaprio is turning into a grizzly man for the upcoming The Revenant which Entertainment Weekly has shared the details on. 

Shooting with only natural light in remote locations left untouched by mankind, the arduous production extends until April since Iñárritu and his cinematographer, Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) can only shoot a few hours each day. “It’s a fun ride,” says the director, who has also reunited with his Birdman studio New Regency to make the film. 

It's always good to see film-makers trying new things instead of whatever safe Studio-approved quirky comedy David O. Russel will release as The Revenant opens against that and Mission Impossible 5. 

Iñárritu then went onto kind of praise/diss Leonardo DiCaprio (who has never won an Oscar):

“He’s a brave, incredible actor. I’m so surprised about how good he is,” Iñárritu says of DiCaprio. “I think there’s a profound understanding of humanity that I can see through his eyes.”

Leonardo DiCaprio(who was last seen losing the Oscar for Best Actor to Alright-Alright-Alright from True Detective) will be joining Tom Hardy, Domnhall Gleeson, and Will Poulter.  

 

The Revenant tells the true story of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), an American fur trapper and frontiersman in the early 1800s. After being mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead, Glass made a heroic 200-mile trek back to civilization to find the men who abandoned him in his time of need. 

Fox Will Bring You ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

 

Moviegoers who are fans of any of the following: 1980s Movie remakes, John Carpenter, 20th Century Fox, or Presidential Rescues will be happy to know that 20th Century Fox has aquired the rights for Escape From New York which has been talked about it seems like since the 1980s. 

Deadline reports:

Fox has emerged from competitive bidding and closed a deal to remake the 1981 John Carptenter-directed cult classic Escape From New York. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman’s The Picture Company will produce.

[...] There have been remake overtures before, but not with Carpenter involved. New Line tried it with Neal Moritz. It’s the second producing project set up by The Picture Company, after they set Nottingham And Hood at Disney. TPC has a deal with Studiocanal.

Carpenter will Executive Produce with the hopes of turning it into a franchise- the original had a 1996 sequel, Escape From L.A. which was a Box office disaster.

They were also quick to point out that rumors of Pacific Rim and Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam as Snake Plissken were just that- rumor. 
As we enter the last few years of the Neo-80s, it would make sense to have a film like Escape come around.

In 1997, a major war between the United States and the Soviet Union is concluding, and the entire island of Manhattan has been converted into a giant maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president (Donald Pleasence) is taken hostage by a group of inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.