KANEDA!!

RASSERA RASSERA RASSERASSE RASSERA RASSE RASSE RASSE RASSE RASSE RASSE RASSERA
If those words don't strike a nostalgic feeling in you, then you haven't been exposed to the brilliance that is Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 animation masterpiece AKIRA. Originally a manga penned by Otomo from 1982 through 1985 in Japan's Young Magazine, Akira was an absorbing mix of cyberpunk action topped off by a powerful and emotional story of friendship. An animated version directed by Otomo was released in Japan in 1988. Now journalists have received the official word that a live-action adaptation of Akira is in pre-production with Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the roles of protagonists Kaneda and Tetsuo (or their Americanized counterparts). The story will be split into two seperate movies, the first dealing with volumes 1-3 of the manga and the second dealing with 4-6. The films will supposedly take place in the city of New Manhattan, built by the Japanese 31 years after a nuclear war. Leonardo DiCaprio will also be serving as one of the producers on the project with Gary Whitta writing the screenplay and Ruari Robinson directing. This will be Robinson's first big-budget picture. He's got one hell of a fan-base to live up to. But, fear not, as Robinson is an avid anime and manga fan who just so happens to be more than a fanboy full of pipe dreams, which I believe he proves in his short film "The Silent City", which can be viewed below. Akira is set for release in Summer of '09.