News
Akira's Katsuhiro Otomo Announces Live-Action Film Plans
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Katsuhiro Ōtomo announced on Friday that he is currently preparing work on a live-action film. He did not offer any more details about the film.
Otomo previously directed the 2006 live-action film adaptation of Yuki Urushibara's Mushishi supernatural manga.
Otomo is best known for creating the stories of Akira, Steamboy, and Memories, and he directed or co-directed the anime for all of these. Otomo later created the Hipira: The Little Vampire manga, which received a 12-episode television anime adaptation in 2009. Otomo has created the Domu, The Legend of Mother Sarah, Sayonara Nippon, and SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers manga, among others, and has worked on the Freedom, Spriggan, and Metropolis anime.
Otomo debuted as a manga creator in 1973, and launched his first long work, Akira, in Kodansha's Young Magazine in 1982. Most recently, Otomo worked on the Short Peace anime and video game omnibus project that assembled "top creators at the leading edge of Japanese animation." Otomo created the "Combustible" short anime within that project.
Otomo made the announcement during a ceremony promoting him from chevalier to officer in the French Order of Arts and Letters. Otomo was knighted by the Order approximately 10 years ago.
Other Japanese citizens who have received the honor include manga creators Leiji Matsumoto and Jiro Taniguchi, filmmaker and actor Takeshi Kitano ("Beat Takeshi"), and video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.
Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.
Source: Liberation Books, 9eArt.fr
