Another re-make... but Battle Royale?
 

New Line Wages 'Battle Royale'
Ultra-violent original produced controversy, awards in Japan
June 8 2006

New Line is certain that audiences are ready for a serious drama about school children roaming through the wilderness killing each other for sport.

The company has snagged the remake rights to the Japanese cult classic "Battle Royale," one of the most audaciously violent films most Americans haven't even heard of.

The original, which Variety somewhat tenuously refers to as sci-fi, focuses on a not-so-futuristic Japan in which unemployment and low national morale have somehow prompted the government to create an unusual game: Each year, a single class of ninth graders is dropped off on a remote island. Every student is provided with a weapon, or something that might be used as a weapon. They're set loose and given three days to kill each other. Only the winner survives.

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the "Most Dangerous Game"-esque saga was nominated for a slew of Japanese Academy awards when it was released in 2000, including best picture. It was followed, somewhat less successfully, by 2003's "Battle Royale II -- Requiem."

New Line has set Neal Moritz and Roy Lee to produce. Thus far, no writer or director for the remake have been announced.

Doesn't surprise me...and has potential depending on who they bring aboard.

-JP

No surprise. Studios think Americans can't read subtitles so just remake it in English. See: OldBoy See: Ju-On See: Ringu

Shame, but does have some potential like NatrlBornThrllr said.

and I seriousily doubt this will be made or released in all it's NC-17 glory that the original wallows in.

Besides financial gain, I don't understand why someone would want to remake this. The original was perfect as it is. They're just going to ruin it. I think the only time one should remake a movie is when they can make it better. King Kong is a prime example. That was definitely worth the remake.

The original Battle Royale is a true classic. Is this remake going to top characters like Kiriyama and Mitsuko? If so, great. But if not, why do it? Now if you'll please excuse me while I go remake Pulp Fiction and Schindler's List.

Because making a remake would be a lot more cost effective than getting the rights to release the original?

I recall it having the stipulation that any U.S. distributor had to give it a large release and leave it as is. Both of which would mean that it would get a NC-17 and wouldn't be able to be shown in most theaters besides the obvious art houses.

It could be okay if they actually have the balls to go all out with it like the original. Plus a U.S. setting could even potentially play off some additional controversies like racial division. Would the black students be more willing to kill the white ones, and vice versa?

I have my doubts though. I imagine they'll not only alter the reason for the game, but they will water down the overall brutality of it. I could also see them just having a handful of 'bad' characters doing all the killing, where the majority are just victims or only act in self-defense.

The original isn't that bad. I doubt it would get an NC-17 as some are indicating here, unless the age of the victims is somehow factored in.

My friend and I have had major discussions in our screenwriting class on how the perfect remake would work. We decided the only way one could factor in the greatness of the original novel, the manga, and the Japanese film would be an epic miniseries on HBO. Their are numerous, great ideas found in all three works when combined could make for something of sheer, fucking brilliance if the right people are done on board.

While I usually have trust in New Line for these sort of productions, the producers scare me. Neal Moritz? Neal motherfucking Moritz? The assclown hack who has given the world such winners like Stealth? The Fast and the Furious? 2 Fast 2 Furious? xXx? The Skulls? Slackers? Saving Silverman? Blue Streak? I Know What You Did Last Summer? Volcano? Did I mention motherfucking Stealth?

I would trust more faith into one of my bowel movements into making a film production work over Neal Moritz. With our luck, we will have drag queen Lee Tamahori or Academy Award-winner Rob Cohen direct and probably seven-or-eight writers attached in a last ditch effort to hopefully make a watchable film.

With the current producers attached, my expectations are piss poor. They're probably going to ditch all the political and social satire, and just make something with cool death scenes and that's it. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the Battle Royale universe is very substantial in the wealth of material one can acquire from it in hopes to make something both audience and critical acclaimed.

So far, this news gets a major fucking thumbs down from me. :thmbsdwn:

However, in the current MPAA state, there's no way in hell the original Battle Royale would get an NC-17. The film may be violent, but Hostel, Final Destination 3, and The Hills Have Eyes have all pushed the limits of how much gore and glop an R film can have.

true, but for a film that makes teenagers kill fellow peers for survival, I am sure someone at the CARA film board would find this reprehensible (too Columbin-ish) The would be the main scene that might be hard to pass with an R-rating.

In the American version, the kids will probably band together to triumph over the evil system.

I don't know. If the film were to get an R, there might have to be 10-20 seconds worth of edits involved; but for Christ's sake. Land of the Dead had a scene where a zombie ripped out a poor bastard's throat. Not very that long in the theatrical edit, but it was still present (and it's longer in the uncut form, but that doesn't mean anything in the MPAA/CARA debate).

Yeah. It's called Battle Royale 2.

;)

[However, everyone who has seen it would love to forget it even existed.]

yes, the sequel did suck the big cheese.

but Battle Royale's violence has more of a mean streak to it, whereas Land of the Dead's gore is more outlandish.

The R-rated cut of Saw is about 100x more gruesome and mean-spirited than Battle Royale.

I loved the original concept that the novel's writer had in mind. A meaner spirited version of the game with the two leads kidnapped and thrown right back in (with Nanahara dying within the second act). It's a shame they didn't go with that idea and instead with the terrorist/America-hating-big-brother idea.

Outlandish, but in terms of mean streak, Hostel would be my argument then. A neck blowing up is not acceptable, but eye cutting and head smashing is?

I've been waiting for a remake since the original came out. As good as it is, its still a very flawed film. A remake in the right hands could be amazing. I wonder if they will tweak the plot to have it make more sense as why the children are brought to this game.

but how much of the film's (BRII: Requiem) turn for the worse happened after Kinji Fukasaku's (Director) death? From what I've read, Kinji's son, Kenta did more harm than good to the story and film.

The main issue that will push it over in the lame MPAA mentality is that it's kids doing the killing.

It didn't have that much gore. But the violence it had would be taken extra hard by the fact that it is those minors doing it. Hell, look at what happened with Serenity when they had River holding a gun on the poster.

Yeah, I never understood how they hoped to solve overpopulation by killing 30 kids a year. And even if that did work, why not simply execute them by staging a bus crash or something?

that's a better argument ... I don't know, the filmboard must have had their coffee before seeing 'Hostel' then. ;)

In the novel, it makes a little bit more sense. It's not about overpopulation, it's about putting the society in their tracks. The reason the government is throwing 44 kids to their death a year is in a hope to scare the rest of the Japanese teenage population from going apeshit.

Also, the novel, takes place in an alternate universe of Japan were they won World War II and they became too much of a superpower. The movie doesn't clarify if it takes place in the same universe or if it takes place in current day Japan.

I'm reading the manga now, I'm on book 13 of 15, and it definitely can be intense and graphic. And it's different when it's high school kids, even doing it to survive, than a zombie.

Like Matthew says, at least based on the manga, it's more of a bread-and-circuses/control the society type of thing than 'winnowing excess population' thing. BR Japan is a semi-totalitarian state, where much speech is outlawed and people who speak out disappear.

Casting would be important, in the manga there is an incredible range of characters [of course, some of them don't last very long], and Hollywood tends to focus too much on the visual stimulation of their performers.

And since when does 'the original is better' has ever stopped Hollywood from a usually needless remake.

That actually works a lot better than the throwaway explanation in the movie. Of course, then you'd lose the element of surprise (where the kids don't know anything about the game until its explained to them).