Battle Angel Producer Wants More Manga Titles in Hollywood
Film producer and manga authority Northrop Davis, who arranged 20th Century Fox’s acquisition of film rights to Yukito Kishiro’s GUNNM (“Battle Angel”) manga, has revealed that he’s currently trying to interest Hollywood studios in several other manga titles. Specifically, Davis revealed that Phil Rosenthal, producer behind the Everybody Loves Raymond television series, is interested in launching an American re-make of the Japanese Densha Otoko (Train Man) franchise. Furthermore, Davis has been close to negotiating a deal for American film rights to Kentarou Miura’s fantasy action manga Berserk. And Davis has revealed that he’s involved in efforts to interest American film studios in Keisuke Itagaki’s martial arts manga series Grappler Baki, and Keiji Nakazawa’s acclaimed manga depiction of the Hiroshima bombing Barefoot Gen.
While it’s interesting to know that these four titles are being shopped around Hollywood, there’s no certainty that any of them will ever get picked up or produced as American film projects. Barefoot Gen may be particularly difficult to transition to America because, while it’s certainly a moving and important story, it may be too unpleasant to appeal to mainstream American audiences.
Source: Anime News Network
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Where the fudge do you get ANN? Every time I access it, the server’s down. 🙁
“is interested in launching an American re-make of the Japanese Densha Otoko (Train Man) franchise”
We already have a Train Man: Napoleon Dynamite. (Not to mention the Big Bang Theory.) In fact, this importer told me that they marketed Napoleon Dynamite as “Bus Man” in Japan, because he rides a bus.
“Furthermore, Davis has been close to negotiating a deal for American film rights to Kentarou Miura’s fantasy action manga Berserk.”
Isn’t a Hollywood Berserk Conan the Barbarian? =p. Actually, I made a joke that Lars Von Trier’s likely to be a Berserk fan, after seeing the teaser for Antichrist. But seriously, a Berserk movie’s tough enough to keep R-rated. If they try to PG-13 the thing, it’ll totally bomb, especially if they get another whiny emo wimp as the lead.
“Grappler Baki”
Why would you make a movie out of a series which has marginal appeal here? Anyway, if it happens, I just hope the Asian characters are played by Asian actors this time.
“Barefoot Gen”
Um, no. You just know, that, like Akira, they’ll change it to a 9/11 scenario. At least Grave of the Fireflies can be updated for Iraq.
Oh, wait, now I get the interest in Gen. Some producer wants some of that Slumdog change, so they’re hoping it’ll be about some white guy who saves the Japanese kids or something, amirite?
Didn’t they learn anything from Dragonball Evolution. Don’t care
how many parents paid for their kids to see that, it was crap and
so will these bee(if ever made). If he wants to make some berserk he should give money to a Japanese company.
If Berserk were made in Japan, Miike and Kitamura would have to collaborate for it to be good.
I don’t think Hollywood is ready to adapt manga titles yet. It took them a while to adapt superhero comics into movie format, and be successful in the box office. However I don’t think they should move on to manga seeing as they couldn’t make Dragonball decent at best. Then there’s Americanizing the manga for the general audience.
Yeah, they should just stick to American comics for now.
Jules: They can do a good job on manga if they’re willing to concede the Asian take on the material and the Asian cast, are what make it successful. But then they couldn’t even to that for the other Avatar movie, and that’s a little more Westernized than the other stuff.
Actually, if there was anyone in Hollywood I’d want involved on a Berserk movie, it’d be the FX crew for the new Wolf Man movie.