When we last heard from director George Miller, he and his people were busy refuting rumors that he’d been kicked off of the Justice League movie and that — as we quote from the original Coming Soon article — “he’d like to work with Mel Gibson again [on another Mad Max film].”
Oh, what a difference three months makes!
For Thursday afternoon, Eric Ditzian at the MTV Movies blog scored an interview with Miller where he reveals that not only will Mel Gibson not be part of the next Mad Max film, it will be a 3D anime extravaganza, complete with its own video game.
From the site:
For the anime release, Miller isn’t looking simply to mimic Japanese-style animation but rather to adapt it for Western audiences. “The anime is an opportunity for me to shift a little bit about what anime is doing because anime is ripe for an adjustment or sea change,” he explained. “It’s coming in games and I believe it’s the same in anime. There’s going to be a hybrid anime where it shifts more towards Western sensibilities. [Japanese filmmaker Akira] Kurosawa was able to bridge that gap between the Japanese sensibilities and the West and make those definitive films.”
There’s something a little off about that statement, partially because the only “sea change” that’s coming to the anime industry is its dawning realization that the overseas fanbase doesn’t want to pay money to see it anymore. The plot will be recycled from the plot for the original fourth movie, which was to be made in 2003 but production was halted when financing became an issue. So when will this come out?
“I’ve got a couple of years left,” said Miller. “We’re in the early stages writing and designing. A really good game you need two and half years. And for good anime you need two years.
And there you have it.
Gordon McAlpin says:
I’m a bit nervous about the “anime” term being thrown around, but I think I get what he’s saying. Kurosawa did have a very Western approach to filmmaking; so much so that in Japan he isn’t quite as highly regarded as he is overseas, at least compared to some of his “more Japanese” contemporaries.
It does seem weird, though, because… well, if it’s Westernized anime written and directed by an Australian dude, then… it’s just an ANIMATED MOVIE, right?
But then I’m one of those guys who hates when whitebread cartoonists in America call their comics “manga.”