Live-action 'Bubblegum Crisis' planned

[Sidewinder]

AIC Agrees to Live-Action Bubblegum Crisis Proposal (Updated)
posted on 2008-11-24 23:57 EST
Singapore's Cubix (Zodiac) aims for budget of several billion yen, 2011 release

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Japan's Anime International Company (AIC) signed a basic agreement with Singapore's Cubix International PTE Ltd. (Zodiac: The Race Begins) for a proposed live-action film adaptation of the Bubblegum Crisis anime franchise on October 30. AIC made the agreement through its Anime International Co. Asia PTE Ltd. subsidiary. The defunct ARTMIC studio created the original 1987-1991 video anime series about four women who protect a cybernetic future Tokyo with powered armor.

Cubix is planning a budget of several billion yen (several tens of millions of dollars) for the project. Along with AIC, the company is aiming for a 2011 release in the United States and elsewhere. The two studios intend to consult with former ARTMIC staffers Shinji Aramaki (screenplay and mechanical design) and Kenichi Sonoda (character design) to maintain a connection with the world concepts of the original series.

The original anime sold over 600,000 copies on laserdisc and video tape. It already spawned the AD Police Files prequel video anime series and the Bubblegum Crash sequel video anime series. The Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 television anime series remade the original story in 1998 and spawned its own AD Police television series spinoff and the Parasite Dolls video series.

Source: animeanime.jp

<snip image>

Update: AIC's press release indicates that it is working on new animated Bubblegum Crisis plans. It is also planning to sell the live-action film remake rights for its other titles and jointly produce new animated projects for them.

Anyone else excited about a film in which the superheroines, one of whom is a rock star, have a lingerie store as their base of operations?

[VF5SS]

It better have the lesbian vampire sex robots.

[Bilbo]

I get nightmares of all the worst moments of the live action Guyver movie. This movie must have a huge budget and just awesome special effects or it will be horrible.

[Vendetta]

Whilst in principle I approve of this, the original BGC was very eighties, and I'm wondering whether or how one could update that and retain the fun.

[Ford Prefect]

Whilst in principle I approve of this, the original BGC was very eighties, and I'm wondering whether or how one could update that and retain the fun.

It is perhaps lucky that I am not the director of the is project. If I was, it would be more 80s than the 80s ever were.

[Archaic`]

It better have the lesbian vampire sex robots.

From my vague memories of a scene from the original series....bisexual/lesbian woman in powered armour fighting bio-android dutch wives that went berserk and devoured their clients at the brothel. Close enough for you?

[Vendetta]

It better have the lesbian vampire sex robots.

From my vague memories of a scene from the original series....bisexual/lesbian woman in powered armour fighting bio-android dutch wives that went berserk and devoured their clients at the brothel. Close enough for you?

The original series had actual lesbian vampire sex robots on the run from the law.

(What was that Ford was saying about more 80s than the 80s again?)

[VF5SS]

I was referring to the plot of the fifth episode, Moonlight Rambler, where the Knight Sabers inadvertently befriend two Sexaroid boomers who are on the run from Genom. For whatever reason they have to drink human blood to survive. Sylvie, Sexaroid who gets the blood, actually delivers it to her fellow Sexaroid using her fangs. Episodes five and six of the original show were probably the best of the lot. A lot better than the evil car episode.

[Sidewinder]

Whilst in principle I approve of this, the original BGC was very eighties, and I'm wondering whether or how one could update that and retain the fun.

Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 managed to make itself look 90s and still look familiar to fans of the OAVs, so it should be possible to make the live-action film look 2000s or 2010s without making fans go, "What the fuck is that?!"

[Atlan]

This news made me all giddy. BGC was one of the first anime I really got into.

Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go and hug my Bubblegum Crisis B-Club Special. It's been too long since I've looked at it.

[Sidewinder]

Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go and hug my Bubblegum Crisis B-Club Special. It's been too long since I've looked at it.

What's the B-Club Special? (I'm assuming it's not one of those vinyl record-sized laserdiscs that became popular in the late 80s-early 90s.) A book of production art, published by AIC?

[VF5SS]

No it's like a Roman Album published by B-Club. They used to do a lot of those back in the 80's. It was either that or you'd get a Newtype 100% book. B-Club stopped publishing in 1998. I guess when you have Newtype and Hobby Japan you really don't need another magazine sponsored by Bandai.

[Atlan]

Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go and hug my Bubblegum Crisis B-Club Special. It's been too long since I've looked at it.

What's the B-Club Special? (I'm assuming it's not one of those vinyl record-sized laserdiscs that became popular in the late 80s-early 90s.) A book of production art, published by AIC?

What VF5SS said. It's also one of the most sought-after items for BGC fans, because not all that many made it outside of Japan, despite BGC being one of the more popular anime in the USA back in it's day.

[Damaramu]

Wow, I had no idea this book was so "rare". I snagged a copy at a local comic book store, circa '91 when it was being sold through PREVIEWS. So glad I did.

There's a copy being sold by a Japanese Ebayer for a oh-so-low BIN price of $135.



*runs and gazes lovingly at his copy*

[Atlan]

Wow, I had no idea this book was so "rare". I snagged a copy at a local comic book store, circa '91 when it was being sold through PREVIEWS. So glad I did.

There's a copy being sold by a Japanese Ebayer for a oh-so-low BIN price of $135.



*runs and gazes lovingly at his copy*

Yeah, that's the one. And I got it in exactly the same way
Seems that around a hundred dollars is the going price nowadays, but when ebay just got started I saw it on there a few times for well over a hundred and fifty.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I guess, what with Iron Man now, you can show power armour a lot better so long as you're ILM or Weta. I hope these guys aren't going to use plastic Power Rangers suits for every shot. And I hope Nene is cast well and has pink hair, dammit. It's not unrealistic when my co-worker has it working in a lab, never mind a lingerie store.

Then we can move on to Dominion Tank Police...

[Atlan]

I guess, what with []Iron Man[/i] now, you can show power armour a lot better so long as you're ILM or Weta. I hope these guys aren't going to use plastic Power Rangers suits for every shot. And I hope Nene is cast well and has pink hair, dammit. It's not unrealistic when my co-worker has it working in a lab, never mind a lingerie store.

Well, you're right that they now can show powered armor off really well. Even so, considering most of the close-up shots of Iron Man were a guy in a suit, I think that the Hardsuits need to be remodelled to be a tad more realistically proportioned.
And I concur with Nene needing pink hair. In this day and age that's hardly unrealistic, although perhaps still a bit for a police officer.
Makes me wonder who they are going to cast for Leon. That guy needs to be a fairly big bruiser. C

[VF5SS]

They actually made some physical suits for the voice actresses to wear in promotional materials way back in the day. You can see them here. They look pretty good for being done on a budget with fibreglass.

[Atlan]

They actually made some physical suits for the voice actresses to wear in promotional materials way back in the day. You can see them here. They look pretty good for being done on a budget with fibreglass.

Yeah, I know. But the actresses couldn't move for shit in those things: they had to be supported while walking in them. Part of that is that the suit design had some pretty ridiculous heels. Priss walks on her toes ballerina style the entire time.
The Iron Man suit is realistic enough that the stuntman wearing it could walk, jog (a bit) and get up on his own from lying on the ground. It has a fairly good range of motion, which makes it all the better. You can SEE that there could be a guy in there.