BATTLE ROYALE May Head to TV. (Seriously.)
Have any of the executives who talk about Battle Royale actually seen Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale or read the original novel by Koushun Takami? Or have their assistants just described it to them?
The latest bit of news makes me wonder. According to Los Angeles Times, the CW television network -- the fifth network in the U.S., home of The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Gossip Girl -- has had preliminary "talks with the project's Hollywood representatives about the possibility of turning the property into an English-language show."
Rather than remake the movie, they would acquire rights to the novel and work from there. Takami can say no, which would quash any potential deal.
Evidently, the network already has one "teen-centered post-apocalyptic" show in development, so it might put both into development and let them fight it out.
You know, like in The Hunger Games.
And that seems to be the driving force behind the interest in Battle Royale. Everyone who'd seen (or heard about) Battle Royale suddenly perked up and pointed out that The Hunger Games sounded an awful lot like the movie -- that is to say, a less violent, somewhat neutered, and politically confused version -- and that caught the ears and eyes of Hollywood entertainment executives.
Roy Lee, the producer behind most of the Hollywood remakes of Asian films, and Neal Moretz managed to get a remake of Battle Royale set up at New Line years ago, but that never came to pass.
At some point, though, you'd think someone will need to explain to key CW execs that, uh, Battle Royale is all about, er, kids killing kids with all manner of nasty weapons at the behest of a government that, oh, never mind.
I'm sure it will sell a lot of soap and shampoo to the kids.
-
Charles Webb
-
Peter Martin
-
Garth
-
MarsHottentot
-
Peter Martin
-
hiroaki.j
