Interest

Akira Script Discussed by Cowboys & Aliens Writers

Katsuhiro Ōtomo gave his blessing to a "re-imagination" of his manga Akira, according to two of the scriptwriters who were involved with the in-development American remake. In an interview by the website Aint it Cool News, writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby described Otomo's original as a "springboard to a new vision of Akira."

Fergus and Ostby's credits include their work on the first Iron Man film, Children of Men, and the upcoming summer film Cowboys Versus Aliens. They and another writer named Albert Torres worked on the Akira script before Warner hired Steve Kloves (Harry Potter films, Wonder Boys) to polish the scripts last February. Ostby said, "I think we would almost say that it was a closer re-imagination when we were on [the Akira remake]."

Fergus said that Otomo "had basically given his blessing" and paraphrased Otomo: "The original … don't treat it like a holy text, treat it like a springboard for re-imagination of Akira." Fergus cited the film Blade Runner as a precedent for an Akira remake. "I think the soul of Blade Runner the film, and the source book are exactly the same […] We always look at Blade Runner and any of these re-imaginations of great material as an inspiration to how to honor the fiber of the original material, but you don't have to execute it the same way. You don't have to stick exactly to it like it's a holy text. So that's how we approached Akira.'

Later, Fergus acknowledged the negative reaction of some fans to the prospect of a remake. "People will doubt it, they will sneer at it maybe, but when the right director, and the right elements come together and that thing happens... then, people are going to be blown away […] They will see it as another chapter of Akira, not trying to replace the original, or compare itself to the original. It will become another sort of manifestation of it, and it will be unbelievably cool […]."

Source: Aint It Cool News via Crunchyroll