Anime fans take to social media to respond to news of the 2016 Makoto Shinkai anime being adapted into live-action film by Abrams through his Bad Robot banner in partnership with Paramount.
- Sep 28, 2017
AceShowbiz - Live-action adaptation of Japanese blockbuster "Your Name" is in the works with J.J. Abrams producing. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Abrams' Bad Robot and Paramount Pictures have acquired the rights to adapt the 2016 animated film.
Abrams will produce "Your Name (2019)" along with Bad Robot's Lindsey Weber. Also serving as a producer is Genki Kawamura, the producer behind the original anime, which has become one of the biggest hits of all time in Japan.
Eric Heisserer, who was nominated for an Academy Award for penning the script of Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi film "Arrival", is attached to write the screenplay for the upcoming live-action film.
Paramount and Bad Robot will team up with Japan-based Toho Co., which produced the original animated film, on the development of the live-action take on the story. Toho will handle distribution of the film in Japan.
"Your Name" was written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. It became the fourth-highest grossing film of all time in Japan and the highest grossing anime film at the worldwide box office, earning $355 million. It was also nominated for best animated movie of the year at the 40th Japan Academy Prize.
Shinkai said in a statement that "Your Name" "is a film created with the innate imaginations of a Japanese team and put together in a domestic medium." He added, "When such a work is imbued with Hollywood filmmaking, we may see new possibilities that we had been completely unaware of. I am looking forward to the live-action film with excited anticipation."
However, soon after the news surfaced On Wednesday, September 27, anime fans gave mixed reviews. While some of them are looking forward to the live-action remake, some others doubt American filmmakers could reimagine the story, since the original anime is deeply intertwined with Japanese folklore.
A wondering fan took to Twitter to ask, "doesn't the entirety of Your Name rest on Japanese culture? how the f**k are they gonna streamline it for American audiences?" One responded to the tweet, "You can't. They're gonna Death Note it," referencing to the critically-panned live-action remake of "Death Note" starring Nat Wolff.
Another agreed, writing in the comment section, "even Death Note is a fairly broad concept that COULD have been adapted. Your Name's entire overarching theme is deep Japanese Culture." One other similarly responded, "they can't. Hollywood ruins the anime it touches. The original might still exist, but every adaption has been trash so far."
doesn't the entirety of Your Name rest on Japanese culture? how the fuck are they gonna streamline it for American audiences?
— FUCK JJ ABRAMS (@weeabob) September 28, 2017
