Live action movie?

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

PRESS RELEASE
Viz Media Launches Hollywood-Based Film Company to License and Produce Live Action Films Based on Popular Japanese Graphic Novel Properties

San Francisco, CA, July 21, 2008 – Viz Media, LLC (Viz Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has launched a new wholly-owned Hollywood-based company named VIZ Productions to produce and license live-action theatrical film and TV projects based on animated and manga (graphic novel) series.

Read more...

(Yes, they do mention Naruto.)

I checked the posts for the past five days and there wasn't anything about this. If I missed a previous post, please let me know. Also, let's not get carried away, there is no official announcement about a Naruto movie, yet (if anything, we should be thinking this is for the lulz).

Comments

[vescas.livejournal.com]

well... damn.. wow...

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

E-exactly what I was thinking *nods*.

[vescas.livejournal.com]

viz is like... burning money for fuel, aren't they... f-ing punks... while teh non family friendly companies are going belly up... Damn... just...

Not that I don't maybe look forward to some of this, but maybe.. a hollywood adaption of some of our favorite animes.. gee... what can we really expect?

If they make a Naruto movie.. they better damn well give me some KakaIru fanservice! You hear me Viz! Hollywood! KAKAIRU DAMMIT!!

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

I'm almost thankful I don't have to deal with them (not that our licensing companies don't suck or anything :D).

Actually, I read a pretty nice comment.

I can see it now...
Narrator: " Meet Naruto, your average run of the mill high schooler. Until one day, he finds an ancient scroll".
:'D

Hell yeah to KakaIru \o/ (though it's a bit impossible... I think).

[zamkenobi.livejournal.com]

Narrator: " Meet Naruto, your average run of the mill high schooler. Until one day, he finds an ancient scroll".

The saddest part is that I could really see this happening...mainly because I'm pretty sure that's what's happening to Dragonball.

[laverinth.livejournal.com]

I've heard Death Note and Cowboy BeBop so far, but I don't know if the second is with the same group.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

Death Note is mentioned in that article (as one of the popular shows aka the most likely to be adapted). I heard about Cowboy BeBop too, but I'm not sure either.

[laverinth.livejournal.com]

http://community.livejournal.com/death_note/1491093.html

That's what was posted in the death_note community a while back.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

Ack, thanks. I'm actually into Death Note but not in the fandom.

[laverinth.livejournal.com]

Good. Staying out of that fandom is better for your mental health. -_-

[skei.livejournal.com]

Funny, I don't see this under the press releases on Viz Media's official website.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

There's an interview linked here (http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/12947.html). Maybe they're waiting to launch a different website for "Viz Productions"?. I think the announcement was fairly recent, after all.

[cherryfruit.livejournal.com]

Crazy. A live action Naruto movie would be scary.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

I agree. But I still say we should think about the lulz.

[hwangak.livejournal.com]

LOL have you seen the musical? :))

[cherryfruit.livejournal.com]

No, but I remember seeing pictures of its ridiculous filler villains!

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

LOL I can see a 12-year-old Naruto played by some guy making him look like a teenager and LOLing about it.
But yeah, I know how you feel. I don't know if I should be happy or think about the DB movie and shudder.

[yumi-maki.livejournal.com]

I feel the same way. 'Cause right now, the DB movie looks terrible. I'm kind of scared about this new development. I don't know what to say.

[zamkenobi.livejournal.com]

Death Note I could actually see them doing a good job on simply because there isn't much you'd need to change from the original to make it appealing to the general masses that aren't anime fans. Naruto and other action manga however, I'm afraid they would butcher it to try to make it live action.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for the DB movie, I'd think they wouldn't even try with a manga like Naruto. Now I'm not so sure. But yeah, this could be either really good or really bad.

[zamkenobi.livejournal.com]

They might not try it if the Dragonball movie bombs. That seems to be the pioneer in this field, and if it's a hit I can see them going wild with the anime movies. It worked with Marvel anyway. I'm just afraid they'll go overboard in trying to make it appealing to American audiences rather than keeping true to the original vision of the writer when the original might actually might appeal to American audiences anyway.

[yumi-maki.livejournal.com]

They've been talking about making a Death Note English adaptation for a long time - not Viz in particular but in Hollywood, I know. I think that was caused by the spate of remakes of Japanese horror films even though Death Note isn't a horror. So that one might happen for sure.

[zamkenobi.livejournal.com]

I've always been interested in that only because it's about the only anime I trust Hollywood to do a good job on for the reasons I listed. They don't really need to change much. The only thing I could see them not liking for an American audience would be the Shinigami, and I'm not sure that they would take that out. If anything they could convert it into some sort of monster, which the hardcore fans might not like, but I don't really think it's that big of a deal. Hollywood can actually do a good job sometimes on book to movie conversions, and I think this would probably be their best opportunity because so many themes and characters in Death Note really transcend cultural boundaries.

[hi-no-neko.livejournal.com]

I'unno, Naruto seems pretty long-form and expansive for a movie. Death Note has only a dozen volumes, and has already proven to be movie-able in Japan.

The titles listed there are the ones they trot out in pretty much any press release - kind of their "biggest hits" list. Of them, I'd say only Death Note and Monster would work as movies. The others are simply too huge to contain in movie form.

I'd expect a lot more from the Shojo Beat or Viz Signature side than the Shonen Jump side. Those stories tend to be a lot shorter, and wouldn't require 100 million dollar budgets a pop. :B

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thinking that, too. But Naruto is probably one of the most popular ones on USA and... well, I think everyone knows what they did with the DB movie. We can only hope a) they'll realize just how much trouble a movie like that would be b) if they do it, they better do it right.

[ultrasushi.livejournal.com]

M-Monster movie. *_________*

[hi-no-neko.livejournal.com]

"Gee," Neko wondered to herself, "I wonder how ultrasushi would react to what is behind this link?" (http://www.movieweb.com/news/63/8463.php)

[ultrasushi.livejournal.com]

sshgjshgjhfdsjg. oh my god. *__*

[momopi.livejournal.com]

Well since there will be American live action version of Dragon Ball...

Pamela Anderson Lee for Tsunade!

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I was thinking.

LOL I can see the petitions already (also, sort of want).

[momopi.livejournal.com]

I demand a petition for Michael Jackson to play Orochimaru! :D

[sahara-storm.livejournal.com]

Pamela Anderson Lee for Tsunade!

Ahahaha, seconded. ♥

[sahara-storm.livejournal.com]

I'd watch it.

In the same manner that I'd watch a train crash.

But seriously, if they really are going to do it, it might not turn out that bad once it's in the hands of people who know what they're doing.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

There's always hope... (but I second the train bit)

[honzeldafitz.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I really hope they leave Naruto alone. You just know they're going to mis-cast the characters and turn it into something disturbingly horrible.

~ Lindsay Lohan as Sakura, Paris Hilton as Ino, and starring Justin Timberlake as Naruto. *gag* Kill me now.

[shini-chii.livejournal.com]

Aaaand now all I can think about is Bringing Sasuke back (http://community.livejournal.com/chuunin/3248967.html).

Don't let it get to you. It might not even start before they realize how complicated it would be.

[tearstreak.livejournal.com]

HO SHI--

I'm not sure if I should run for the hills or stick around to see the aftermath...

[zelos22.livejournal.com]

no no no they cant do NARUTO D: its waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long of a story to make an even remotely decent movie, even if they were to split it up into more than one film. Bleach and InuYasha wouldnt work very well, either :/

is leaving a story in anime/manga form just too much to ask for? theres no reason to overkill it by making it live-action >.

[kokoro-angel.livejournal.com]

The manga/anime musicals(most famous gotta be Tenimyu) are amusing, but live-action movies??

[illeatchu.livejournal.com]

really? really?


LAME.

[arsenicgraffiti.livejournal.com]

Do not want.