Rumor Updates for Live Action Adaptations...

There are two anime-to-live-action adaptations that I know about: Otoumo's prolific Akira and the soul-sucking fiasco known as Neon Genesis Evangelion. Right now, some news on the two...

Akira has an attached director (I'm assuming he's doing both films--the manga is being split into two films) by the name of Ruairi Robinson. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his short animated film Fifty Percent Gray. Screenplay is written/adapted by Gary Whitta. Leonardi DiCaprio is producing this film (along with Andrew Lazar and Jennifer Davisson) as well as possibly starring. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also rumored to star. The setting is in New New York (Neo-New York?) that has been rebuilt by Japanese money. I'm hoping the leads don't have name changes. Without all the "Kaneda!" "Testuooooooooo!" back and forth it'd be a very different film. As stated before, the film is broken into two films to adapt Katsuhiro Otoumo's manga in its entirety, something even the animated feature didn't achieve. Personally, I'd love if Gordon-Levitt were in it. He's a powerhouse in both Brick and The Lookout. Serious indie cred. If Christina Ricci could play the Kei part, I think I'd die happy. She already was in an anime adaptation! Or maybe I shouldn't mention that...They're eyeballing at a 2009 release for the first film.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, on the other hand, is perpetually stranded in development hell. I'm not sure if I'm elated or bummed about this. Since its announcement of inception in 2003 ADV bought the non-Asia/Australia rights to the property and has contacted Weta Digital for help. Weta went to town with concept art, and then it just kinda...stopped. Maybe because Hideaki Anno gave it his blessing. It did make him go for a six month stay in a mental facility, people. EVA just has that effect, I guess. Rumors of A-list stars and directors approaching ADV for the chance to be involved (my guess is that mega-fan Robin Williams is one of them, if there really are any), but ADV is adamant on making sure that the Eva pilots will be played by children. Issues of race are also a constant debate topic: make them Asian or Caucasian? Keep the names? Should sub and dub actors have cameos? Apparently there is a script by Matt Greenfield that can be tweaked to whatever mind-trip the chosen director decides to subject us on. And in keeping with Akira's status, the EVA project is going to be split into at least two movies. Supposedly. Everything's very fluid because, hey, development hell. No ball really rolling here.

Maybe ADV should concentrate on releasing anime to us at a faster rate. That might give them inspiration for the "Unnammed EVA Project".