It could be a big week for anime. Paramount’s live-action Ghost In The Shell remake hits cinemas and, fairly or not, its box office return will decide the fate of future live-action anime projects. If it bombs, good luck getting your favourite anime made into a Hollywood blockbuster. If it succeeds? Who knows, maybe anime begins to rival comic books as the major source for adaptations.
One studio that will certainly be holding its breath is Paramount, who will likely decide whether their proposed Akira remake goes ahead after this week. The 1988 animated movie has been a huge influence on countless science fiction properties and a remake has been gestating for a while. It has been rumoured that Paramount have narrowed their hunt for a director down to two names:
Daniel Espinosa, whose Life is currently in cinemas, and David Sandberg, who upped his stock hugely with the big horror hit, Lights Out, this past year.
Both are potentially intriguing choices, but the remake of Akira has been riddled with rumours and disputes over budget and casting for years, now. Paramount are likely pretty happy that another studio decided to go ahead with an anime remake so they could get the lay of the land before having to empty their pockets for a risky project.
A big week for anime and rich movie producers with a desire to be even richer awaits.
#Peace.Love.Akira
