Robert Rodriguez's ALITA

[TheButcher]

From THR: Cameron ready for 'Battle'

James Cameron is moving forward on his next helming project, the sci-fi thriller "Battle Angel" for 20th Century Fox. The film marks the director's long-anticipated follow-up to "Titanic," which Fox co-financed with Paramount Pictures.

Fox declined comment and would not confirm that the project has been greenlighted, but Mali Finn Casting has placed an open casting call online for the lead actress in the new Cameron film.


The ad calls for female applicants age 16 to mid-20s who are athletic and agile with graceful movement and have an ear for languages and dialects. Submissions are due Dec. 19, the firm said.

"Battle Angel" is described as a big-budget adaptation of a 12-part Japanese manga series set in the 26th century that centers on 14-year-old female cyborg named Alita.

Fox's Emma Watts will shepherd the project for the studio, with production scheduled to begin in February.

Cameron has said publicly that he is planning to direct two movies back to back using a virtual-reality production process he refined and developed with visual effects cameraman and second unit director Rob Legato. The process is based on a photo-real version of the performance-capture technology used by Robert Zemeckis in "The Polar Express."

"Battle Angel" is the first project to employ the process and is set to come out in summer 2007. The second -- known in Cameron circles as "Project 880" -- is slated for 2009, the director has said.

Early last month, Fox executives visited a Los Angeles stage set up by Cameron's company, Lightstorm Entertainment, to view his proof-of-concept. They reviewed the director's latest digital-production process that includes 3-D high-definition digital-camera systems in a virtual production studio, allowing Cameron to make camera choices, edit, work with CG objects and direct actors on a stage within a virtual environment.

The frame-by-frame production setup allows Cameron to envision the entire film digitally before he shoots actors in live-action, performance-capture material.

Cameron demonstrated a real-world test of the technique on the stage to show the infinite digital production possibilities the system enables. The director had worked to debug and refine the system since early spring to get it to finished quality before demonstrating it to studio execs.


Source:
Dark Horizons

From AICN: James Cameron stresses BATTLE ANGEL ALITA is his next'!'!'

Hey folks, Harry here... I'm so anxious to see Jim actually shooting on BATTLE ANGEL ALITA, I just need to see a new Cameron feature film. Also - I've been getting strange reports from around the web of Cameron's script treatment to AVATAR being forced off their script sites - which has me poking around to see if Cameron is looking to get AVATAR going again - or could that be Project 880? Naaah, PROJECT 880 is probably the film that comes out of the screen and starts bitchslapping you in your theater seat. Damn that Cameron and his futuristic filmgoing technology!

Hey guys,

Exciting news: it seems that "Battle Angel" is a definite go despite rumors that Cameron might delay it for the mysterious "Project 880." In an Aug. 9 article on The Independent website about Cameron's "Last Mysteries of the Titanic" documentary, he talks about Battle Angel, saying that the story will focus on Alita's relationship with a human man (probably Hugo from the manga).

"Finally, though, he thinks the time is right for him to return to feature films because he can now harness new technology to make something entirely fresh. Unsurprisingly, he has opted for an almost insanely ambitious sci-fi blockbuster. It is clear that the director of such ground-breaking films as The Terminator and Terminator 2, Aliens, The Abyss, and True Lies wants his comeback movie to make as big a splash as they did.

Inspired by Japanese graphic novels, he is currently developing Battle Angel, a cyborg thriller set in the 26th century. "It's going to be a mega-budget film shot in 3-D," Cameron enthuses. "It's set in a post-human world in the distant future, and a number of the main characters will be computer-generated. It's a kind of virtual film-making. We're building a whole new motion-capture technology. I'm impatient to get on with using the tools of the future."

He continues: "The main thrust is a love story between a human man and a female cyborg, and the film contains a range of characters from the fully human to the fully machine. I'm embracing the fact that human beings are amazingly adaptable. We've got a lot of flaws, but we're also pretty clever. We've got the tools, but can we use them?"

here's the link:

Click Here For The Rest of the Story

If you use this you can call me "Desty Nova" (after the flan-loving mad scientist from the Battle Angel books)

Take Care,

Mike

[Brocktune]

alita-1 was totally awesome as a young optimus prime's girlfriend.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

i'm seriously super psyched for Battle Angel. it's the next big deal blockbuster movie i'm really excited to see. forget Kong, Xmen, Superman, Spiderman, what have you, this is the movie i'm dying to see...

not just cause it's the first ever major studio live action anime/manga adaptation, but cause it's Cameron doing it. this is a man who gets what's great about anime/manga, and he's a guy who can do hard sci-fi stuff arguably better than anybody else. i mean, Aliens alone is a masterpiece not only of technique, but narrative and character. i can't wait to see what he does with this...

[burlivesleftnut]

I have never read the Battle Angel manga, and only scene like one episode of a cartoon that I think was Battle Angel. Maybe it was a movie. Anyone want to give a synopsis and about it talk about what makes it special?

[ONeillSG1]

forget Kong,

Dude, be careful where you shoot that one around here. Have you NOTICED the ape wallpaper?

Jeez . . . lol

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

I have never read the Battle Angel manga, and only scene like one episode of a cartoon that I think was Battle Angel. Maybe it was a movie. Anyone want to give a synopsis and about it talk about what makes it special?

actually, it's been a really long time since i've read it, so i don't remember too many details...

from what i remember, mostly, it's pretty a standard dark future manga type of narrative. so, if this is the kind of thing you like, you'll love it. otherwise you may not...

essentially -- cute ingenue cyborg warrior girlee (this is anime after all) fightning various superscary robot monsters in a far flung nightmarish dystopia. from what i remember, it also deals with class issues -- the elite live in paradise cities which float above a Mad Max / Blade Runner / Matrix "desert of the real" type of landscape where all the regular people live and struggle to survive. theres all sorts of Star War and Bade Runner esque seedy bars / neighborhoods and and various takes on "Thunderdome" etc. etc.

one exceptionally cool battle occurs between tiny Alita and this giant robot snake monster with a human face which is scary as hell!

Alita starts out as the creation of some lonely guy (natch!) and eventually becomes a sort of gladiator and ultrahero. along the way she beats the crap out of various terrifying monsters, experiences love, and all sorts of other stuff.

again, this is pretty standrad "dark future" dystopia manga stuff; so if you dig that, you'll probably dig this. if not, than not...

one of the things that sets it apart is taht it doesn't get all corny / preachy / new agey. it's pretty much a straight up "hard" sci-fi adventure narrative...

i'd say given the popularity of anime/manga (it pretty much has pwned american style superhero comics for years, for good or ill) and the fact that Cameron is doing it, i'd pretty much say this is going to be a guarenteed mega ultra blockbuster...

[Rindain]

These two sites say that Cameron's next film will in fact be the untitled "Project 880":

http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2210

http://www.animated-news.com/archives/00004215.html

The animated-news site got their info from an industry crew magazine. And why hasn't FOX made an official announcement?

Seems fishy to me.

[Ribbons]

Rumor has it that "Project 880" is a resurrection of Cameron's defunct pet project AVATAR.

[MisterCynic]

hopefully it is, that script is a pretty incredible sci-fi actioner.

as a summer blockbuster, things don't get much better.

[Ribbons]

Do you still have the script, Mister? Or could you PM me with a rundown on what it's about?

[MisterCynic]

i have what is called a 'scriptment' in final draft form. might still be online. ill pm you the details and if you have final draft maybe ill send you the bitch.

[Rupee88]

I read the first chapters of Battle Angel Alita the other day and I thought it was very lame. But Cameron will make an interesting film at the very least.

[Ribbons]

[Rindain]

Anyone have the Avatar scriptment? I used to have it in txt format.

I can't find it online anywhere...it seems Cameron's lawyers have made a bunch of sites take it down.

[Ribbons]

Yeah they cracked down on that one. I looked for it like crazy a week or so ago and couldn't find it anywhere.

[Rindain]

My copy was in standard text format if I remember correctly. Maybe search for avatar.txt? Anyway, if I find it I'll post and let you guys know.

[CENOBITE]

Well, I have read all of the paperbacks of Angel as well as the new series (Battle Angel: Last Order). The thing that keeps me comming back to it time and again is the artwork... not the story.

You can basically tell every Angel story as "A new bad-guy even stronger than the last steps up. We think Angel is doomed...this is it. However either through intelligence, a long-hidden ability of "Panzer-Kunst" or (rarely) sheer-luck she wins the day. The quintesential Cliff-hanger formula...only dystopian style.

[Rindain]

I'm a huge fan of the Battle Angel manga (the original 9 volumes are much better than Last Order in my opinion, but LO is still better than most manga out there).

What really makes Battle Angel great isn't the fighting/action, or even the artwork (which is spectacular btw)--it's the philosophical/existential questions that arise: What is free will? What makes someone human? Why do I live? What I love about it is that it's extremely intelligent--I hope Cameron captures this in his eventual film.

[CENOBITE]

True, when the people of Tiphares have chips instead of brains, yet their bodies are human (the exact opposite of Alita) it brings up hard questions of who we are, do we have a soul, etc... Unfortunately I don't know if they will dive deep into that in the film version instead going for amazing visuals and intense action ALL IN 3D.

[Rindain]

I hope Desty Nova is in the movie--he's the best character by far. Den would be cool too.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

What really makes Battle Angel great isn't the fighting/action, or even the artwork (which is spectacular btw)--it's the philosophical/existential questions that arise: What is free will? What makes someone human? Why do I live? What I love about it is that it's extremely intelligent--I hope Cameron captures this in his eventual film.

i agree with you, but, isn't that mostly olde territory though? the existentialist angst, i mean. that's fairly standard anime dystopia stuff, the Blade Runner stuff. which is super cool, i just don't think thats its ultimate strength.

i'd argue that Battle Angels real strength is in its visual presentation and depiction of an immersive world -- an exciting (at times terrifying), gritty, and immersive world and a heroine who is truly compelling and cool...

i trust Cameron with material like this. i really think he's one of the few directors out there today who could pull it off...

(i could see Jackson doing a Miyazaki live action remake, though...)

[Alex DeLarge]

(i could see Jackson doing a Miyazaki live action remake, though...)

It cant be Laputa: Castle In The Sky though, im going to be remaking that.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

have you ever been to the Ghibi Museum in Tokyo? you would lose your mind. it's truly beautiful. on the roof is a "life size" replica of the robot from Laputa.

heres a picture from when i lived in Japan...

Laputa robot

[Rindain]

You're right, the immersive world of Battle Angel is probably its single greatest strength. I would say that this super-detailed world that is depicted in the manga begs many of the philosophical and social questions that Kishiro explores...for example, in the manga we are presented with a society in which human life is not valued (people are killed on the streets for body parts, the Factories enslave thousands of people to produce luxury goods for the people-in-the-sky, etc). Thus, the reader asks him/herself "what is the value of human life?" "does anything that I do matter?" etc. etc. And Alita herself asks these same questions. So the immersive world and philosophical mindset of the "Battle Angel" manga are pretty much one and the same. They play into each other.

But you're right, the immersive universe of Battle Angel (and Alita herself) are probably the most important aspects of the manga. If Cameron nails the world/Alita, the philosophical/social commentary should automatically come out as well.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

I agree sir!

And anything that explores a class war subtext (the struggling people below vs. the arrogant people above) gets my dollar! And that's another thing Cameron excels at -- examing class war distinctions in a gritty sci fi world (he even did it with Titanic to good effect). I really think it is going to be something special... I hope!

[Ribbons]

heres a picture from when i lived in Japan...

Zombie, you lived in Japan? Gasp! All this time and I never knew. What for?

[Alex DeLarge]

have you ever been to the Ghibi Museum in Tokyo? you would lose your mind. it's truly beautiful. on the roof is a "life size" replica of the robot from Laputa.

heres a picture from when i lived in Japan...

Laputa robot

thats so cool, how come you were living in japan? ive always been interested in japanese culture and would like to visit it atleast once.

[khkg]

www.teachinjapan.com

they'll hire any monkey with a 4 year degree

you'll make about USD 30k, but the real value is certainly a trip to the ghibli museum.

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

heres a picture from when i lived in Japan...

Zombie, you lived in Japan? Gasp! All this time and I never knew. What for?

yes! i was an English teacher with a company called AEON. it was great. fairly easy to get a job too...

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

www.teachinjapan.com

they'll hire any monkey with a 4 year degree

you'll make about USD 30k, but the real value is certainly a trip to the ghibli museum.

yes, the ghibli museum and the literal army of cute japanese girls (and lonely / unsatisfied houswives) who want to fuck you senseless. it was insane. a roaring fuckfest, basically.

oh yeah and it was all culture, sharing, blah blah whatever too...

[ZombieZoneSolutions]

thats so cool, how come you were living in japan? ive always been interested in japanese culture and would like to visit it atleast once.

i highly reccomend it. i took the long road and stayed for a year as teacher with one of the eikaiwa skools -- AEON. the job was a pain in the ass, but the social / culture stuff and copious amounts of young women with whom to share the intimate times made it pretty much one of the greatest experiences of my entire life...

[ArchCarrier]

For my very first ZONE post, I might as well do something good for humanity. You can find the AVATAR scriptment right here. Have fun while it lasts.

[Ribbons]

For my very first ZONE post, I might as well do something good for humanity. You can find the AVATAR scriptment right here. Have fun while it lasts.

You are awesome.

[Rindain]

ArchCarrier, you kick ass--thank you so much for posting this.

[CENOBITE]

Sweet.

Oh, and for the dense world of Battle Angel, you could say that too is inspired by Blade Runner... Ridley Scott wanted his sets to be "Layered" and saturated with detail. Everything had history... every little bit of hardware and gizmo had a story and 'Greebled' to death. Even the magazines on the newstands had detailed headlines that would never be seen by the camera! He also did this with ALIEN, wrote detailed biographies about each person of the Nostromo... from birth, parents, schools up to the present (he also did this to get the actors off his back about "what's my motivation?")

[TheButcher]

From io9.com:
James Cameron Returns To Killer Cyborgs From The Future

James Cameron is still neck-deep in perfecting his 3-D space masterpiece, Avatar. But work on his next project, a 3-D animated version of the classic manga Battle Angel, is already well underway as well. Concept artist Mark Goener gave an interview to 3-D movie blog MarketSaw, and talked about developing a unique look for this story of "cyber-youth in moral conflict."

No images are available for Goerner's reimagining of Battle Angel yet, but it sounds fantastic. He's working with Martin Laing, who is one of my favorite production designers. (Laing worked on Titanic, City Of Ember, Terminator Salvation and The Abyss.)

In Battle Angel, a scientist named Dr. Ido rescues a female cyborg, Alita, from a scrapheap in the 26th century. Dr. Ido becomes Alita's surrogate father and realizes that Alita is an "angel of death" who can break the cycle of death and destruction this post-apocalyptic world is stuck in, following a terrible war 300 years earlier.

Goerner says he was intrigued by the themes of fatherhood, given how young Yukito Kishiro was when he started creating this series, as well as the "cyber-youth in moral conflict" aspect. And he said the story's quirks — it takes place during a cybernetic "dark age" following a super-advanced phase of civilization — help set it apart from the typical post-apocalyptic world.

Purists beware — Goerner says flat out that the movie won't be aimed at fans of the graphic novels, who are a small percentage of the audience. Stuff will get lost in the translation to the screen, but the creators are working hard to keep the subtle personality and details of Alita and most of her supporting cast. It's not clear when Alita will actually hit the big screen — IMDB says 2011 — but let's keep our fingers crossed that it actually gets made. [MarketSaw via Cinemablend]

[papalazeru]

From io9.com:
James Cameron Returns To Killer Cyborgs From The Future

James Cameron is still neck-deep in perfecting his 3-D space masterpiece, Avatar. But work on his next project, a 3-D animated version of the classic manga Battle Angel, is already well underway as well. Concept artist Mark Goener gave an interview to 3-D movie blog MarketSaw, and talked about developing a unique look for this story of "cyber-youth in moral conflict."

No images are available for Goerner's reimagining of Battle Angel yet, but it sounds fantastic. He's working with Martin Laing, who is one of my favorite production designers. (Laing worked on Titanic, City Of Ember, Terminator Salvation and The Abyss.)

In Battle Angel, a scientist named Dr. Ido rescues a female cyborg, Alita, from a scrapheap in the 26th century. Dr. Ido becomes Alita's surrogate father and realizes that Alita is an "angel of death" who can break the cycle of death and destruction this post-apocalyptic world is stuck in, following a terrible war 300 years earlier.

Goerner says he was intrigued by the themes of fatherhood, given how young Yukito Kishiro was when he started creating this series, as well as the "cyber-youth in moral conflict" aspect. And he said the story's quirks — it takes place during a cybernetic "dark age" following a super-advanced phase of civilization — help set it apart from the typical post-apocalyptic world.

Purists beware — Goerner says flat out that the movie won't be aimed at fans of the graphic novels, who are a small percentage of the audience. Stuff will get lost in the translation to the screen, but the creators are working hard to keep the subtle personality and details of Alita and most of her supporting cast. It's not clear when Alita will actually hit the big screen — IMDB says 2011 — but let's keep our fingers crossed that it actually gets made. [MarketSaw via Cinemablend]

Well...it's not quite a resuce. He finds the broken remains of her in the rubbish pile and repairs her.

It's a damn good story but possibly too long for a film. It's easy to explain away tiphares but there's such a wonderful story with Alita and a bounty limb hunter boyfriend, especially when alita develops.

It could make an aweomse film but I see this as a Gilliam vision - the clock works, the castle in the sky - it's very much Gilliam or an original Henson studio work.

[bastard_robo]

Im not too worried with what Cameron is doing with the material. The man knows what hes doing.

Battle Angel is hands down my all time fave OVA and the manga's are modern classics.. and much like DBZ, there is so much stuff that it would be impossible to put it all on screen.

[TheButcher]

From IESB: 10 Screenplays in Development we want to see now!

If James Cameron hits Avatar out of the park, expect this to go next! The graphic novel is essentially a live-action Astro Boy movie – with a scientist rescuing a robot from the scrap-heap. Cameron was said to be eyeing Jessica Alba for the lead role at one stage- which would work a treat.
Those that have read the scripts for Battle Angel and Avatar seem to favour this over the latter.

[bastard_robo]

From IESB: 10 Screenplays in Development we want to see now!

If James Cameron hits Avatar out of the park, expect this to go next! The graphic novel is essentially a live-action Astro Boy movie – with a scientist rescuing a robot from the scrap-heap. Cameron was said to be eyeing Jessica Alba for the lead role at one stage- which would work a treat.
Those that have read the scripts for Battle Angel and Avatar seem to favour this over the latter.

Goddamn right!

Dont get me wrong, I cant wait to see Avatar, but I've been sitting and waiting for Battle Angel for fucking 7 years now! Its like waiting for the Cubs to win the world series!

[Leckomaniac]

Its like waiting for the Cubs to win the world series!

Thanks for reminding me.

[havocSchultz]

But...after all the eyeball fucking from Avatar...Cameron better find a way to wire Alita straight into our brains...

[Fievel]

But...after all the eyeball fucking from Avatar...Cameron better find a way to wire Alita straight into our brains...

Battle Angel Alita will be the post-coital cigarette to the eyeball fucking that is Avatar.

[havocSchultz]

I think I'm going to need a Morning After Movie...

Things could get messy...

[papalazeru]

Battle Angle Alita is fantastic as a comic and could work really well with some nice chaotic visuals.

The story from the first series is complex enough and would transfer to celluloid with enough artistic flair to make it stand out. It would be absolutely fascinating to see Tiphares up in the sky and the worlds amibition to get there.

Who would play the doc? That's a toughie, someone young enough to be quite nimble and yet old enough to be a science prof.

[bastard_robo]

Battle Angle Alita is fantastic as a comic and could work really well with some nice chaotic visuals.

The story from the first series is complex enough and would transfer to celluloid with enough artistic flair to make it stand out. It would be absolutely fascinating to see Tiphares up in the sky and the worlds amibition to get there.

Who would play the doc? That's a toughie, someone young enough to be quite nimble and yet old enough to be a science prof.

Age him a bit and have Anthony Stewart Head play him!

[papalazeru]

Battle Angle Alita is fantastic as a comic and could work really well with some nice chaotic visuals.

The story from the first series is complex enough and would transfer to celluloid with enough artistic flair to make it stand out. It would be absolutely fascinating to see Tiphares up in the sky and the worlds amibition to get there.

Who would play the doc? That's a toughie, someone young enough to be quite nimble and yet old enough to be a science prof.

Age him a bit and have Anthony Stewart Head play him!

Naaa! Doc's got to be nimble, coming from Tiphares, he's also pretty nifty with a gun. Plus, he needs to be young enough to survive at least one sequel in movie terms.

[burlivesleftnut]

Battle Angle Alita is fantastic as a comic and could work really well with some nice chaotic visuals.

The story from the first series is complex enough and would transfer to celluloid with enough artistic flair to make it stand out. It would be absolutely fascinating to see Tiphares up in the sky and the worlds amibition to get there.

Who would play the doc? That's a toughie, someone young enough to be quite nimble and yet old enough to be a science prof.

Age him a bit and have Anthony Stewart Head play him!

Bruce Campbell might be available to play the robot.

[papalazeru]

Bruce would be cool as a parts dealer but I couldn't see him in a main role in the movie.

[TheButcher]

From Market Saw: EXCLUSIVE: Mark Goerner Talks James Cameron's "Battle Angel"!!!