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AIC Agrees to Live-Action Bubblegum Crisis Proposal (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
Japan's Anime International Company (AIC) signed a basic agreement with Singapore's Cubix International PTE Ltd. (Zodiac: The Race Begins) for a proposed live-action film adaptation of the Bubblegum Crisis anime franchise on October 30. AIC made the agreement through its Anime International Co. Asia PTE Ltd. subsidiary. The defunct ARTMIC studio created the original 1987-1991 video anime series about four women who protect a cybernetic future Tokyo with powered armor.
Cubix is planning a budget of several billion yen (several tens of millions of dollars) for the project. Along with AIC, the company is aiming for a 2011 release in the United States and elsewhere. The two studios intend to consult with former ARTMIC staffers Shinji Aramaki (screenplay and mechanical design) and Kenichi Sonoda (character design) to maintain a connection with the world concepts of the original series.
The original anime sold over 600,000 copies on laserdisc and video tape. It already spawned the AD Police Files prequel video anime series and the Bubblegum Crash sequel video anime series. The Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 television anime series remade the original story in 1998 and spawned its own AD Police television series spinoff and the Parasite Dolls video series.
Source: animeanime.jp
Image © 1987 A.I.C., Inc. & Youmex, Inc.
Update: AIC's press release indicates that it is working on new animated Bubblegum Crisis plans. It is also planning to sell the live-action film remake rights for its other titles and jointly produce new animated projects for them.
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