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EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures and Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment are teaming with Tezuka Productions to turn the Japanese Manga Pluto into a live action/CG hybrid film. Pluto, which married a beloved Japanese cultural figure with the writer Naoki Urasawa and artist Takashi Nagasaki, has sold 8 million copies in Japan. The series updates characters from the Osamu Tezuka-created Astro Boy and sets the action in a world populated by giant robots and cybernetic citizens. Illumination, formed by former Fox Animation head Meledandri, came out of the gate this summer with a hit in Despicable Me. Meledandri follows with Hop, a live action/CG mix that bows April 2, 2011, with Russell Brand voicing the Easter Bunny. Right behind that is Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, the Ricky Gervais-created Flanimals, a new stop-motion version of The Addams Family with Tim Burton directing, and a sequel to Despicable Me, which has so far grossed north of $360 million worldwide.
“With Pluto, Naoki Urasawa has defined an imaginative world full of inventive action and adventure but it was his characters and heartfelt story that compelled me towards acquiring these rights,” Meladandri said in a statement.
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Astroboy already bombed just last year. This film never happens. When will the Tezuka company ever learn?
“which married a beloved Japanese cultural figure with the writer Naoki Urasawa and artist Takashi Nagasaki”
Naoki Urasawa did the story and art — Nagasaki is an advisor/editor who works with him on the story, but definitely nothing to do with the art.
Yeah, I gotta say as it is a bit worrying that such a great story will be handled by a US production company, especially with the US’s history of totally missing the point with literary adaptations… Why aren’t the Japanese doing it themselves? They did a great job with the 20th Century Boys trilogy.
You think so? I’ve only watched the first two 20th century boys films, because the manga is only up to volume 13 here at the moment and i’d like to read it all first. But i was NOT impressed by the films.
I really enjoyed Pluto and deffinately will be interested to see what they do. But i’d rather have an american remake of 20th Century Boys in the form of a television series (cos let’s face it, it would work so much better in that format)
I dont know much about the movie that has been released, but HOP I think is going to be great. It has such a wonderful premise. The top tier of production have experience beyond belief in these types of movies…look it up and u will see i am telling the truth.
BTD
If this is badly done I will be so annoyed. but if they just use the manga as a story board and treat the film as an emotional journey that it should be not a robo battle-fest it would be hard to screw up something so well done…surely .
“Pluto” was a wonderfully written/drawn (realistically — thus live action would be fine) adventure, full of important, thought provoking questions. What America hasn’t discovered yet, is how “grown up” the whole Astro Boy canon of works are. And this interpretation shines a light on the deeper themes and character studies that run underneath the “cartoon.” I’m looking forward to it, and hope they can do it justice.
Yikes this is not good news for me. US movie producers tend to ruin the whole point of the story. Start coming up with your own ideas and hands-off on Japanese material that’s already good as it is.
i’m excited and worried at the same time. hollywood destroyed Atom Boy already, and i sure hope they won’t mess up with Pluto, which i think one of the best manga ever writen (beside the original atom boy). Naoki Urasawa is a true manga master, he did amazing with 20th cty boys, monster, mr. keaton and yawara, so i can’t wait to see Pluto adapted to silver screen.
I kinda disagree if they plan to make it in CG though, live action would be perfect as the book is very realistic and perfectly fit for live action. 20th century boys movie trilogy was somehow good, although not as thrilling as the book, which understandable considering the complexity of the book itself. so hopefuly the shorter Pluto will make it better when (or if) it goes to silver screen.