You have all heard by now that Dreamwork’s live action version of Ghost in the Shell is progressing, and now has a writer attached.
Now Dane is one of those fellows who is basically against Hollywood remakes of Asian movies, so I get the feeling that unless it is a shot-by-shot remake, with an all Japanese cast, set in Japan, in Japanese , he won’t be happy. We will talk about it on the podcast, so stay tunned to the Anime Pacific Podcast page for Dane’s reaction to the Ghost in the Shell news.
I, on the other hand, am a bit excited about this. I have some faith that with Spielberg involved that it will be reasonably faithful to the original, and am hopeful that we can get a good movie out of this. Keep in mind that Spielberg is a fan of the movie.
What I would like is for it to be set in an Asian city. I don’t think it has to be Tokyo, remember that the movie is set in a generic “New Port City”, but it should be in Asia. It could be Hong Kong, Shanghai or Seoul. A city that looks like “the future”. That means: insane amounts of neon, huge crowds, busy open air markets, tall sky scrapers, and gleaming new infrastructure. But, I’ll make a post about the setting later.
The key point, and probably the most fun for speculation, is the cast. I would like to see an Asian woman cast as Major Motoko Kusanagi. But I am realistic. If this is going to be a $150 million picture, they are probably going to want to cast a big name for the lead role. So you might end up with a white, blond, Cate Blanchett type in the role. Dane would probably find that unforgivable, but I would let it slide if the rest of the movie comes together well, and if Dreamworks at least casts Asians (or better yet Japanese) in some of the other key roles.
So lets get onto the fun part! The speculation.
Who to cast as Major Motoko Kusanagi?
As I wrote above, I think casting an Asian women as Major Kusanagi is very important. Unfortunately, there aren’t exactly a huge number of well known Asian actresses in Hollywood. So maybe it is unrealistic, but I am going to give you some names, including a top-five, and why or why-not I think they should get the role.
Asians in Hollywood - Those who should get definitely screen tested:
1) Zhang Ziyi
My current favorite for the role.
She is right for the part - Young, fit, stunning in the looks department, can kick some serious ass, and Asian (okay not Japanese, but close enough for Hollywood).
My only worry is her English skills. But as I understand it, she has been taking English classes since Memoirs of a Geisha.
As for fame, like Maggie Q (#3 on the list) she is big in Asia. Obviously not a household name in North America, but there is some familiarity from Memoirs of a Geisha…
Another factor is her acting fee. With her fame in Asia her fee is now $5 million (at least according to an article from 2006). Now this is still less than half of what an A list female celebrity would charge. And for that you are getting one of the most famous actresses in China today. That means good box office in Asia.
2) Rinko Kikuchi
Good name recognition (the Oscar nomination definitely helps in that department) and she is Japanese!
Like Zhang Ziyi, my big concern would be her English. If you listen to her in interviews, her accent can be pretty painful to listen to
sometimes. (And I taught English in Japan for 5 years, so I heard all sorts). But maybe she can work on it some more with an accent coach. And she did say in a New York Times interview that she is trying to get an “east coast” accent.
However, unlike Zhang Ziyi and Maggie Q, I don’t think she has done any action roles. Also, she is a bit on the short side (only 5′5″). Now I have been trying to imagine her with her natural dark hair, unlike all the pictures of her I could find, but even so, for some reason I don’t think she “looks” right.
3) Maggie Q
Not a bad choice I think. A pretty big star in Hong Kong. Was in “Die Hard 4″ and the upcoming “King of Fighters” movie (which may actually be a strike against her unfortunately) but besides that, unfortunately pretty unknown in North America. Then again that is true with almost any Asian actress.
She could look the part with her hair done right. She has been in some semi-action roles, “Gen Y” cops for one She is from Hawaii, so obviously her English is not an issue like some of the other names here. One issue for some people (Dane for one) might be that she “isn’t Asian enough”, being that she is only half Vietnamese. But if you look at the 3rd picture above, I think she is fine.
4) Grace Park
Now say Dreamworks is going to do with movie with a non-blockbuster budget, and therefore can’t afford some of the bigger names on this list, how about Grace Park?
As you can see by all the pictures of her (that couldn’t help but post), I have a thing for Grace Park. I even watched A&E’s horrible “The Cleaner” and the CBC’s “The Border” just because she is in them. Yes, I am that big of a fan. And she grew up in Vancouver, so I can’t help but root for an (almost) local girl.
As you can see from the pictures, she isn’t afraid to do sexy, and if you have seen Battlestar Galactica you know she can pull off a more action oriented role.
All that being said, she isn’t exactly a household name, Battlestar Galactica’s Sharon being her biggest role. She would also be 37 or 38 the time the movie starts filming, which is getting to the tail end of the age range for any prospective Kusanagi actress.
And while she is undeniably very very hot, there is something that just isn’t quite right about her look for the Kusanagi role. Maybe its just my memories of her from Battlestar Galactica, but she seems to have more of tomboyish punch-you-in-the-face sexiness, rather then the more lithe, graceful, Zhang Ziyi look.
But as I said, I am a big fan, so she deserves a look.
5) Yunjin Kim
Probably one of the more recognizable Asian actresses from her Lost fame, she is a big star in Korea. And while she plays a conservative demure woman is Lost, she certainly is capable of playing a more sexy role.
However, she doesn’t have any action movie experience (as far as I know). And like Grace Park, by the time the movie starts filming she will be hitting 38. So perhaps pushing it a bit age wise for the role.
Even so, I think she deserves consideration. Especially if they were to consider a “B list” actress for the role.
Other Asian actresses
Okay, here are some other Asian actresses. If anyone has any other suggestions, post them in the comments, and I will add them here.
Gong Li - Very well known and a brilliant actress, sort of a Chinese Meryl Streep. But too old for the part (43 now), and not really the action type, even if she was in the Miami Vice movie.
Michelle Yeoh - Well known, and can kick ass, but well over the age limit (47 now).
Chiaki Kuriyama - She’s Japanese, was Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill, so perhaps a familiar face, and her age is right. But she doesn’t speak English at all. And she seems a bit on the short side.
Vicki Zhao Wei - Very big in China, but obviously unknown in North America, and I don’t know if she can speak English.
Karen Mok - A star in Hong Kong, but like Vicki Zhao, not really known elsewhere. She can speak English, but at 39 years of age she is getting towards the upper end of the age range for the Major.
Hollywood Actresses - The “A list”
Obviously despite my preferences, they may not use an Asian actress at all. We don’t know what the budget of the movie is going to be like, but if Dreamworks trying for a $150 million dollar blockbuster, then it would be completely understandable to me if they decided they had to go with an A list, well known actress. They might even have the money for some really big names. So here are some names that I have seen mentioned. Some are obvious, some are not.
Halle Berry - You know, 10 or even 5 years ago I would have named Berry as the non-Asian that could probably fit the Major Kusanagi role. She is smoking hot. She can act. She has action experience, being the only good thing about the 007 movie Die Another Day. So whats the problem? She is 43 now. Would be pushing 45 by the time filming started. I don’t know how young she is able to play realistically. But frankly, looking at this list, depending on how her body has held up (she had a kid a couple of years ago), I think she might be able to pull of the role better then any other non-Asian I have thought of so far.
- Angelina Jolie - A name that will definitely get mentioned. The go-to action girl since Tomb Raider. She is a bit… “Hollywood” for this role if you ask me. Also she is getting a bit old and has too many tattoos. She is playing Moms in her films now! So if you are going to go this route, you might as well get the “younger version” of Jolie - Megan Fox.
Megan Fox - Too Hollywood. Too pin-up girl like for my taste. Too much like a cheerleader. But I suppose that is why they are called actors.
Cate Blanchett - Yes, I saw her name mentioned. A real big Hollywood name obviously. Clearly A list, and clearly a real actress. Has the figure for the movie (I guess). Was in the latest Indiana Jones movie, so trying to branch out into the more Blockbuster films rather then the serious dramas (i.e . Elizabeth) . But a bit too old (she is 40 now). And even if she is game, I can’t really see her in a kick ass role. And other big names like, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Hilary Swank all have similar problems. But I suppose if Dreamworks was to go the “get-a-real-actress”, “get-a-big-Hollywood-name route”, I suppose you could do worse Cate Blanchett. On episode 81 of the podcast (link) Dane actually said he wouldn’t mind Cate Blanchett!
Hollywood - The almost “A list”
Actresses who general Sci-Fi fans will recognize, if not the general public. Casting one of these actresses might be forgivable, if they studio isn’t able to spend what it takes to get an A-list name.
Of course, Personally, I would take Zhang Ziyi over any of the following. And if you can afford these actresses, you can probably swing the $5 million or so it would take to get Zhang Ziyi.
Milla Jovovich - Do you have a mediocre sci-fi movie? Well Milla Jovovich seems to be the go-to girl if you do. Of all the non-Asian actresses she is probably the most plausible. But, I don’t think she has been in anything good since The Fifth Element. So, no thank you.
Natasha Henstridge - Made a name for herself in Species , and has other action cred. But her career has been on a downhill slid for years now.
Charlize Theron - Good body, as you could tell from Aeon Flux. But Aeon Flux was horrible! So, I am sorry but she must be banned from any other animation to live-action adaptations.
Hollywood - The “B list”
Here are a few names that I have seen bandied about in comment sections, here and elsewhere. Now, I had to have read these names elsewhere because none of them are well known household names.
For me, it makes no sense to cast any of the names in this section. If Dreamworks is worried about the Box Office and feels the need to cast a well known “A lister” like the ones I list above, that is one thing. But if you are going to cast an unknown actress, like any of the names below, why not try and be as faithful to the manga/movie and cast an Asian actress?
There must be at least one Asian actress out there ,who can act, kick ass, and look good doing it. The only reason not to would be some weird racial thing. But hasn’t the “Americans won’t watch non-white people in lead-roles” trope been disproved?
With that in mind, here are the names. If you have someone to add, please post in the comments section.
Lena Headey - She was the Queen in 300 and played Sara Conner in the now cancelled terminator TV series.
Natassia Malthe - Who? Yes, that’s what I asked too when I saw her name mentioned (see comments). But I take it she has had some minor roles sci-fi roles. And is hot as hell. Unfortunately, she is even more unknown that that Queen Goro chick above, if thats even possible.
Rhona Mitra She has had a couple of lead roles in some lower budget action movies (Doomsday, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ) . So she has some action experience, and she certainly looks good. Hmm I say that a lot, but judging from that picture she certainly has a Motoko look about her.
Kristin Kreuk - Hmm Does she count as Asian? Dane would argue not, so I’ll put her in this section (Heck he thinks Maggie Q doesn’t count as Asian!). I haven’t seen it, but Dane HATED her in the Street Fighter movie. You can hear him talk about her in Episode 81 of our podcast. It might be irrational, but she is persona non grata for Dane.
I am sure I have left some people out, so please post your thoughts on who should play Motoko! I will add names to this list as people come up with them. Who knows, maybe someone from Dreamworks will read this. 
And again, keep your eye on the Anime Pacific Podcast website, since the latest episode has some discussion on this topic. It should be posted soon.
Alex
EDIT: Fixed up the HTML, and made the sections a bit clearer. I also found myself saying “She is unknown, so why not cast an unknown Asian” instead?” over and over again. Instead I just turned that into a whole section. Added Kristin Kreuk (thanks Kent), Rhona Mitra (thanks Phillip), and Vicki Zhao Wei (thanks Stephen) as recommend in the comments section.
Thank God for the Japanese.
If anyone tried to do this in North America, there would be an outcry from womens groups, followed by politicians grandstanding and calling for Congressional / Parliamentary hearings.
More information here. It is in Japanese, but it is pretty visual (obviously) and self explanatory.
Alex
That’s it, I’m finally going to start watching Bollywood films.
Amazing Stuff, take a look!
Tokyo in Miniature -
miniature city 2 - featuring vividblaze - from mockmoon on Vimeo.
Rural Japan, Saitama
miniature trains from mockmoon on Vimeo.
miniature trains 2 from mockmoon on Vimeo.
Alex
Hat tip - Andrew Sullivan
Download the MP3, here.
It’s the first “official” episode of ANIPAC. In a nutshell, expect us (not always in the same episode) to discuss:
* Retro gaming/movies
* Anime
* Tales from Asia
* “Classic” AnimePacific Clips
* Miscellaneous Geekery
Shootin’ The Breeze
We discuss the history that contributed in the eventual creation of ANIPAC as well as a slight backstory into how me and Alex met.
How to gauge a douchebag:
It’s easy, if you drive this car, then you are a douchebag! Well, more specifically a slightly bigger, bulkier version of this car that in fact, negates the benefits of actually having a cubed shape car and exists solely for the purpose of being, “cool”.
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Classic Anime-Pacific Clip: Harbin Zoo
Toilet humour at it’s best!
Harbin Zoo; where you can walk, talk, sing with the animals.
Freebie of the Day: Head Over Heels
An unforgettable gaming experience from my Commodore 64 days, has now been faithfully remade and freely downloadable from the fine fellows at retrospec!
Download it here.
The Commodore 64 version that I played:
Game Studies has a fascinating analysis , here.
Alexander’s Cornucopia of Geekery:
Blasto: The game on the BILL COSBY APPROVED (Y’See!) Texas Instruments Machine
A fantastic link, here.
The Living Room of the future; yesterday!
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
In the future, mankind finally transcends the superficial anxiety of worrying about people seeing your crotch outline. The scourge of camel-toe anxiety is officially vanquished.
Check out more fantastic stuff at Paleo Future.
We also discuss our impressions of the far away, year 2000. Check out the opener for Beyond 2000 which is about 25 seconds into the video.
It’s a wrap!
We’ll be back; we don’t know when; but we’ll be back!
A must-read article about life in Japan during this economically troubled time. While I have had mixed thoughts about leaving Japan 2 years ago, the more I read about the economic situation there the more I think I made the right choice. Have a read here at the BBC website.
On a happier note, watch this good BBC video about the Shinkansen, celebrating 45 years of glorious service. Note the average train delay - 6 seconds.
Now lets hope that the California version now in development can be just as good.
Watch this fascinating behind-the-scenes video now how the Shinkansen is able to keep train delays down to single-second-digits.
While I am at it, let me through in the following photo, from this travel article at the New York Times. I just think it looks cool.
Alex
NBC news just had a story on the effects of the economic collapse on Nagoya, Japan. Since I used to live in a Nagoya Suburb, Kariya, this story really interested me. The reporter actual films some of the story from a job center in Kariya! I actually miss living in Japan a lot, and seeing the familiar streets of the city made me a bit “homesick”. But, the actual content of the story makes me glad I got out, and into a pretty stable job back in Canada, when the getting was good.
Alex
Already some chap has made a rather hilarious spoof (completely candid; everyone though he was nuts!)
For those of you who don’t live in Asia, I can tell you that the very concept of an AU (Asian Union) sounds just as outrageous now as an EU might in, say, 1938.
Now, if we could choose one country across Asia that the most people have a beef with, it’d be Japan, without question. The whole rape, annexation, scientific experiments, torture and then subsequent denial thing, can do that to you. The subsequent denials and douchebaggery demonstrated by people such as Toshio Tamogami, sure doesn’t let old wounds heal either.
How ironic (the Vatican in the heart of Rome kind of irony perhaps?) that the one thing that seems to unite Asia is the delightful Hokuto No Ken (Fist of the North Star).
Well, it was such a merchandising juggernaut in the 80’s, it’s not suprising many people wanted to emulate it’s success. Coupled with the fact that due to the aforementioned bad blood between Japan and it’s neighbours, these places didn’t neccesarily feel obliged to pay any royalities for rights of the characters.
Enter Taiwan’s Hokuto No Ken; "Funky No Ken"
And perhaps the more well known Korean version; With regret, I was unable to obtain any information on it’s budget. However, calculating the budget would be far from an arduous task. One Samsung keyboard + green hair spray + old clothes (most likely donated) + scissors.
To wrap it up, the Kenshiro VS Raoh clip from the Korean TV series. Kenshiro sounds like an old lady undergoing a hysterectomy without anasesia.
The Washington Post has a feature up on their website about Halloween in Japan. The article’s main focus is on Yokai, the Japanese tradition of "otherworldly" monsters, and includes plenty of examples.
Read it here: The Washington Post
It also includes a neat video. Check it out.
As the video explained, Japanese don’t go trick-or-treating. Where I lived, outside of Nagoya, there wasn’t much Halloween spirit at all. Not even in the stores. There may have been a Halloween party or two over the years that I heard about, but they were initiated through the foreigners at the office where I worked.
Perhaps that explains why Halloween seems like it’s a bigger deal in Tokyo. More foreigners around to spread the word, and so people (or at least the stores) get more into the spirit.
That brings me to the “Halloween Train” phenomenon. Every year, around Halloween, huge numbers of people (80% foreigners) get dressed up, some get hammered, and all get on a Yamanote line train. There are tones of videos up on youtube about it.
However, I must say that it appears that the locals aren’t too pleased about it. JR is posting signs saying that “gatherings” or parties are not allowed on the train, and are beefing up security.
Take a look at this
Alex
