Thursday, 02/21/2008 - 11:37 am
by Jeffery Stevenson
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Akira: Who’s That Writer?
The popular anime Akira is getting the live action treatment, but… who’s that guy writing it?
The news is rolling around about Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Brothers producing a live action version of Akira. It was one of those milestone anime films back in the early 90s here in the states because it showed us the potential of the genre--fluid motion and detailed artwork (no skimping and taking shortcuts here). You figure this kind of high profile adaptation will be entrusted to some veteran screenwriter, but then you see the name… Gary Whitta. Unless you’re into video games and/or comics, you might be wondering who that is (and many comic book readers might still be scratching their heads).
So, what’s his background? Former editor-in-chief of PC Gamer (and the the last time I read the mag, I saw he was writing the Backspace column). Consultant and scriptwriter contributing to games like Gears of War, Prey and Duke Nukem Forever. Writer of the Death, Jr. comic (a video game to comic adaptation). Screenwriter of The Book of Eli (a post apocalyptic Western), which sold to Warner Brothers.
So… proven track record at adapting properties? Check. Knowledge of the post-apocalyptic genre? Check. Doesn’t slack on deadlines? As a regular columnist and former editor-in-chief, I hope not. Gives me a little more confidence in it, but it’s early… anything can happen still (it’s the unofficial Hollywood motto).
