'Mortal' Maven Nabs 'Ninja Scroll'

Variety ^ | Wed Mar 13, 2:31 AM ET | By Dana Harris

[Texaggie79]

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Mortal Kombat" producer Larry Kasanoff has bought all remake rights to the Japanese 1994 anime blockbuster "Ninja Scroll" with the intention of turning it into an f/x-driven live-action feature that will spawn television, live stage tours, video games and music.

Critically acclaimed as Kawajiri Yoshiaki's masterpiece, "Ninja Scroll" is a samurai sword-and-sorcery epic in which a masterless ninja for hire joins forces with a powerful female ninja after her team is destroyed by a powerful man-monster. They create a tragic love story that culminates with the overthrow of the Shogun government.

"Anime is today what video games were seven years ago -- an entirely different style of entertainment that will be mainstream in the very near future," Kasanoff said.

Kasanoff is chairman and CEO of Threshold Entertainment, whose digital animation and effects subsidiary, will supervise visual FX for "Ninja Scroll," while another unit will create and manage the online presence of the brand.

Threshold also represents such entertainment properties as Duke Nukem, Mortal Kombat, Playboy, Hellraiser, Pepsi Co./Frito Lay and Ozzy Osbourne, developing brands for film, television and the Internet.

[RikaStrom]

Actually, they should make Voltron a live movie and ruin it like they did he-man.

Or ruin it like Fist of the North Star was ruined.

[Texaggie79]

I never saw the live action remake of that. I guess it was just as bad as I presumed.

[snowfox]

I own the DVD version of Final Fantasy. You are right when you say that it looks good, in fact it looks great. But it suffers from the same problem that the games it is based on suffers. How can I put this gently, without sounding like a racist. The Graphics of the movies and games are nice to watch and even fun to play (as in the case of Metal Gear Solid 2), but the stories are completely weak. I mean, they were invaded by the spirit of another Planet? Give me a break. And if you know the general plotlines of the games, you would realize that this is not a new plotline in any general japanese game, and especially japanese RPG's (I got about halfway through Final Fantasy X before I got bored because of this, and let's not even discuss FF VIII, I am still angry over it). In my opinion, they should develop the technical side, but leave the writing to someone else. I mean, look at the Anime Cowboy Bebop. This one was good because it didn't suffer from any of the regular japanese doses of spiritualism. Don't get me wrong here, this is a two-way street. In a recent poll, Japanese consumers expect the american made X-Box to fail because it will be too american. The same is being said of Final Fantasy XI, which is an MMORG (Online RPG), and therefore has been "Westernized".

[zandtar]

While I'd like to see the Voltron (Lion's, not the stupid car Voltron) I'd lean towards Transformers only if they did the originals. Soundwave rocked! Prince Lothor was cool as a villian, but Soundwave is still the best.

[RikaStrom]

I guess it was just as bad as I presumed.

It was. Pity.

[Texaggie79]

I agree with you there. The corny story line affects all their games, movies, ect. On rare occasion do they put out a good one. I don't think it has to do with race, I think it has to do with culture. Asian Americans can kick @$$ with plot lines.

[Sir Gawain]

I wish Voltron would split those imposters in half with it's Blazing Sword.

[balrog666]

I wish Voltron would split those imposters in half with it's Blazing Sword.

Nah, let Thundercles do it. Or mini-Thundercles. Or micro-Thundercles if they can find him.

[snowfox]

You're right, and thanks for the correction. Culture is the word I was looking for.

[RikaStrom]

Thudercles?

Is that the one with Snarf?

[xm177e2]

For anyone wondering what Ninja Scroll is, it is quite simply the best Japanese Anime film. Yes even better than Akira.

Ghost in the Shell, Robotech, and Evangelion aren't bad either, but Ninja Scroll is definitely up there.

[SeaDragon]

Then I will make it a point to get it soon. I wanted to see in the theater but never got the chance.

[RikaStrom]

I'd only rent it, not buy it if I were you.

[SeaDragon]

Not good enough to add to the collection??

[snowfox]

It depends on how you view it. I am into computer animation both professionally and as a hobby. Animation-wise, it is light years ahead of any other movie by anyone else. But I guess some knowledge of the industry helps to understand this aspect of it. I was stunned the first time I saw it. But, story-wise it was lame. See my above post as to why, but this movie was just a cultural clash. And it bombed so bad this it nearly broke Squaresoft (the owners/creators of the FF License), Sony bought them up, and they are Sonys' B**ch now.

[SeaDragon]

I always thought it looked really good when I saw the previews but I agree that the story line was a little odd. I am sorry to hear that it did so poorly. I will definitely rent it and then decide.

[Hawkeye's Girl]

Bah.

I love Dragonball Z :D

[RangeRatt]

Remember "Battle Of The Planets"?