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Author Topic: If Steven Spielberg will make the El Hazard movie>  (Read 13664 times)
Lord God Jinnai
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« Reply #30 on: August 14, 2003, 01:00:29 am »

BWAH HAH HAH!

Operation "Break Xel's Sanity" has worked like a charm! My evil genius knows no bounds!

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Fujisawa4654
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« Reply #31 on: August 14, 2003, 01:54:48 am »

 -_-
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Xel
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« Reply #32 on: August 14, 2003, 04:21:59 am »

Quote
BWAH HAH HAH!

Operation "Break Xel's Sanity" has worked like a charm! My evil genius knows no bounds!



*still weeping*  :bawl


....... *brief moment of contemplation* ... ?


Eeeeeh?  :o

But...! But...! Lord Jinnai, sir! Wouldn't breaking my sanity make me staggeringly less efficient as your lackey? *blinkblink*

Remember, I'm the best you have~![/size]  |D
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« Reply #33 on: August 14, 2003, 07:56:26 am »

Wow.  I give this topic a one-more-reply chance to get back on track or lock-down it goes.   ^^;
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Xel
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« Reply #34 on: August 14, 2003, 04:55:25 pm »

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Wow.  I give this topic a one-more-reply chance to get back on track or lock-down it goes.   ^^;


Geh! ._. Forgive me, EHOL God. I do believe I am incapable of NOT spamming.  ^^;

In any case, I'm really not sure if it's at all desirable for, well, SPIELBERG to do anything originally based off of anime. O_o; Though it's interesting to consider the possibilities...

Tarantino EH. Ang Lee EH. Spike Lee EH. Wachowski Brothers EH. I'd LOVE to see that.  ;D Cast choices would have to be taken into consideration following that, of course.

... Though I thought of Eugene Levy as Fujisawa while driving to the store yesterday and it just brought a smile to my face.  ^^; C'mon... doesn't it just make you laugh for some reason?
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larewen_evenstar
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« Reply #35 on: August 14, 2003, 05:04:34 pm »

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Geh! ._. Forgive me, EHOL God. I do believe I am incapable of NOT spamming.


I do believe we have something in common.  ;)

And think about it this way, from what I can tell, I wasn't the one who started spamming this topic. VICTORY!!!  ;D
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Makoto Mizuhara
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« Reply #36 on: August 18, 2003, 12:59:34 pm »

Boy, am I late joining this topic or what?  :|

Actually, I haven't been around anywhere lately, being kept away from message boards and such faire.  I would like to say I've been spending the time away working on finishing the website, but alas, it's been spent on things like scanning a huge portfolio of old photos and career planning.  And seeing as I rented Silent Hill 3 this weekend, any spare time I DID have was going into that so as to beat the story before it needed returning.

*ahem*

Anyway, onto the topic at hand...

Let me tell you, as a graduate of a television, radio, and film program, adapting anything from one source to another is a hard process filled with the stress of constantly trying to walk a fine tightrope.

Some people see a "can't miss" property and think that if they turned it into a movie/television show/video game it would be a sure hit.

Look at the last five years and the adaption of comics and video games to film.  Some were thought to be sure thing big budget blockbusters and ended yup not covering the costs of production.  What went wrong?

Well in a lot of cases, they didn't take care enough in the adaptation process.  Sometimes it was the script, or the casting choices, or the choice of director.  Sometimes, producers complete misunderstood or misunderestimated their target audiences.

One of the best examples of a Adaptation done well is the American version of "The Ring."  I've seen both versions and read the original novel.  All three are different in many key areas, yet all three work very well because in each case, the adaptation process was carefully considered.

How could what was originally a Japanese horror story work so well for an American audience?  Because they didn't just xerox the script and then throw in big name American actors or a popular director.  They tweaked and changed the story as to keep the key story elements, yet they worked more on WESTERN psychological fears by using easily recognizable western icons.

*ahem*

But that is starting to stray off the topic.  So lets get to the meat of the matter, shall we?  

We have this property, El-Hazard: The Magnificent World.  Let's just say that some financial backers and a studio see this property as an opportunity to make money, so they decide to invest a lot of money into making a movie to be released say, in the summer, as their big money summer film. (Time of film's release do play into some decisions, but I won't get into that here.)

So, now we have a property greenlit for adaptation.  We now have several key decisions to make.

1. Which El-Hazard Property are we going to use to adapt?  

- Well, we have a few choices.  OVA series, TV Series, or the Manga storyline.  Since all other El-Hazard stories have a connection to one of those three or at least are similar to one of those three, we'll narrow our choices to one of those three.

Well, Let's scratch TV off because the entire story took 26  1/2 hour episodes to tell it's story.  In order to adapt this series, too much would have to be cut out and changed.

OVA would seem like a good choice. The original story only took about 4 hours to tell, which could easily be trimmed down to fit a 2 hour time frame.  A lot of revisions to story would have to be made, but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem to a talented scriptwriter.

Surprising the best choice would the Manga.  It's only 16 chapters. The pacing is fast-paced with grandoise battle scenes while it still keeps the core story in tact. It would be a very good choice to adapt for a film.  

Yes, I know that El-Hazard fans would cry foul over that choice, but remember this decision of what choice would be the best to be adapted is made to appeal to the largest audience possible.  Hard core El-Hazard fans are a small minority at best.  

So who is the audience we have targeted?  Well, beside anime fans who would most likely go to see it out of curiousity (Because despite the fact that it would be an American live action film, it will still probably be reported as an adaption of an anime story by the Hollywood trades.)  That makes up a small chunk, along with the El-Hazard fans.

However the biggest core audience would be Patrons of Adventure Films.  Heavily Male between the ages of 13 and late 40's.  Like stories that involve adventuring with a bit of action.  Fight Scenes, expolosions, and special effects are appreciated but not required (As opposed to the ACTION Movie Patron.) The most important part is the adventure part of the story.  New locales, inventions, and romantic interests.  A sort of escapist fantasy as it were.  Examples of the movies a typical adventure film fan would watch: Indiana Jones, James Bond 007, The Mummy Series, etc.

Okay, so we've targeted our audience and our source material.  We want to create a two hour adventure movie that will keep audiences glued to the story while still adding enough action and romance to attract the other fringe audiences.

So, now we have a scriptwriter(s) working on adapting our adaptation.  For argument's sake and to appease the hardcore fan, let's say that they are adapting the original OVA story.  Let's also say that budget is not that much of a consideration and it is extremely well funded (Though, in real life, such a risky prospect of converting an anime into a live-action film would have a hard time securing a blockbuster budget.  Though, not impossible. The Evangelion LA Pic in pre-production now is proof of that.)

Now we need to start choosing production staff to turn the now adapted original image into something that will appeal to a mass audience.   We need a director.

For El-Hazard, we have a few good choices (and again this is an imaginary world where anyone we wanted was readily available or willing to take on the project.)

First up is George Lucas.  He's got experience in creating new worlds for film and has experience in adventure story telling.  His special effects studio is second to none and it would definately be a visual delight.  The problems with him is that he likes to tinker a LOT with his creations and also tends to put himself on script duty and casting, both of which he has not had a steller record as of late.  He'd be a good choice if we keep him away from the script and casting.

Next up is Ridley Scott.  Again, good at creating an entire world (Gladiator.)  However, he is often more associated with more action-oriented films and that may give people the false impression about this movie.

The third choice would be Peter Jackson.  His name would garner instant attention, plus he has experience on producing big budget films that require all three of our needs.  An adventure story, an adaptation of an original source, and story that needs an entire world created.  

Jackson seems like the best choice because he has recent success (which appeals to backers), he has a good track record of staying loyal to source material while also making it accessible to a mass audience (that would appease hardcore fans), and he has the tools to create El-Hazard as a display for the eye and mind.  

So, now we picked our director.  Okay, now word has gotten out that Peter Jackson has just signed on to direct a new movie.  An adaptation of an Japanese anime, no less.  Another benefit of picking a big time director is that things he does create a buzz, which help in advertising and generating interest in our film.

Now, it's time to start casting. Obviously, we need to remember that we are trying to appeal to an American Audience, so like LGJ said earlier, there will have to be some name changes.  However, I see no need to change the overall setting (in terms of El-Hazard.  An Arabianesque world would definately be appealing for an adenture type film, as opposed to a Asian setting, which has lately been flooding the market and audiences may see it as "another Crouching Tiger/Jackie Chan affair.)

However, back to casting, I see this film as opportunity to bring in several new young talents who are relatively unknown or only known inside a small circle of devoted fans.  I would however choose, 1-4 "marquee" talents to help give the film credibility.  

Why wouldn't I make this a star studded affair or a "dream cast" project?  Simple.  There's only so much spotlight to go around.  A lot of times people think that if they put 10 Oscar winning actors on screen at the same time, it will be a hit.  What happens a lot of times is that the actors end up trying to bring the focus on themselve and away from the story.  Also, there are things like on on-screen chemistry and the backstage egos to consider(all of which can make or break a film project.)

So, new names aside, whatever they may end up being, here is some casting choices:

"Makoto" - Toby MacGwire.  A slightly nerdish looking, but still attractive actor who is starting to make himself big.  He still passes for 17-18 and like Makoto, he can look nerdish but still be athletic and popular.

"Nanami" - Though I'm not a fan of Buffy, I think Sarah Michele Geller would do a good job with this character. Tough, independent, yet still occasionally childish.

"Mr. Fujisawa" - Though, I think this may be a role best suited to a relative unknown. I do have a soft spot for Bruce Campbell, who can flex his muscles, has great screen presence and doesn't take himself too seriously, which is why he would be well suited to take on the role of our favorite drunko.

Those are the only cast members I can think of at the top of my head at the moment.  though, if we do rely on casting new/unknown/lesser known actors, roles like Jinnai and Ifurita may very well provide the opportunity for a new break-out star to emerge in Hollywood.

This is getting rather lengthy so I'll wrap this up.  I know we still have the final script to figure out which will determine things like the pace of the story, which scenes get cut/altered and maybe even some characters get left on the cutting room floor.

Anyway, now you know a little more about what an incredible pain in the ass it is to try and adapt anything.

And knowing is half the battle.
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« Reply #37 on: August 18, 2003, 01:57:56 pm »

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And knowing is half the battle.

*Sings* G.I.Jooooooooe!!!

Ahem.

Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, wow. That was quite an exposition. You almost make me think that a thing like this is remotely possible. And that's in spite of the fact that your whole point was to point out how very difficult such a thing would be. ;D
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Makoto Mizuhara
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« Reply #38 on: August 18, 2003, 02:50:21 pm »

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And knowing is half the battle.  


*Sings* G.I.Jooooooooe!!!

Ahem.

Sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, wow. That was quite an exposition. You almost make me think that a thing like this is remotely possible. And that's in spite of the fact that your whole point was to point out how very difficult such a thing would be.  


Difficult, yes.  Impossible, no.  8)

Personally, I would love to try and adapt El-Hazard to a 2-hour screenplay.  I have a few ideas rolling around in my head that would work for the more action oriented western audience while staying true to the heart of the story.

The hardest thing would securing any sort of funding along with licensing... which is the biggest pain with any sort of adaptation.
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Aya Mikage
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« Reply #39 on: August 24, 2003, 06:11:43 am »

 ::) I probably think that if steven spielberg would make the El Hazard live movie, it would be fascinating...


Hey people! Did anybody know where we can suggest this El Hazard story to him in person or email??

We can make it come true!! My gosh! it would be.... bravo!


So please anybody...
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larewen_evenstar
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« Reply #40 on: August 24, 2003, 07:37:58 am »

What I think would be funny, would be if he did make one, and asked all of us to take part. We could all become our favourite EH characters! ;D
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Aya Mikage
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« Reply #41 on: August 26, 2003, 06:56:58 am »


That would be great....

its only a matter of chance actually....
(Pana-panahon lang yan, no!)

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS WHILE YOU'RE ALIVE, ISN'T IT? ::) ::) ;D
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« Reply #42 on: August 26, 2003, 08:57:12 am »

Well, realistically guys.  I mean, we can all cosplay at some anime con as our favorite characters.  But for a movie production, you'd DEFINITELY want to cast.  I'm sure many of us aren't born into any particular character roles.  I mean, c'mon... Jim Carrey as Jinnai.  You can't beat such a suggestion.  ;D
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larewen_evenstar
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« Reply #43 on: August 26, 2003, 11:05:28 am »

I can't even remember what Jim Carrey looks like. :bawl
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« Reply #44 on: August 26, 2003, 03:02:18 pm »

Makoto, you have any idea how much such a production would cost?  Btw, anyone know how much OAV 1 cost to produce?
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