Items Tagged With hollywood

We’re trying out a new editorial column. It’s called “Ask the Editors.” We’ve always meant for the Soapbox to have regular editorial features, and this is a good way to get us to do just that. So send us your questions!

The first comes from reader Olajuwan Cobb who asks, “Do you think that there would be an American version of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM) or would it be too risky for any producer?”

This is a perfect question to kick things off because I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Anyone who’s seen the recent “Transformers” movie might be doing the same. It was a real surprise- Hollywood did an amazing job of turning an 80’s cartoon into fun, engaging blockbuster. Its success bodes well for other cartoons to be revived.

The question, however, asks about a PGSM series, and a television show is in a different realm from a theatrical release. They have to think about ongoing production, advertisers, and dealing with networks that are tight on purse strings when it comes to children’s programming.

When Power Rangers was brought here many years ago Saban saved money by using Japanese footage for the action sequences; apart from the strange mix of film reel and videotape, it worked fine since the Japanese actors were costumed. They can’t do that with PGSM; every scene will have to be filmed from scratch.

ANN links to the following in an article in Variety:

Since 1997, Hollywood has been acquiring major anime properties like "Sailor Moon," about a group of young girls gifted with magical powers and skimpy costumes; "Speed Racer," a '60s series about a heroic racecar driver; and "Battle Angel Alita," in which a skull-cracking female cyborg searches for her past.

UPDATE: ANN has noted the Lohan interview.

It seems that the Lohan rumor continues. Both we and AnimeNewsNetwork pointed out that there was nothing in Animage. Keep in mind, though, that that is ALL we have stated, that it was not in Animage. FYI, from this interview:

The people behind the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the Japanese manga series "Sailor Moon" have sent her some materials to look at, she said, and fans have begun lobbying hard for Lohan to play the titular character, a rail-thin blonde known for her strong powers and sexy costumes.

Hurricane Lohan '06 seems to have passed with little damage. This wasn't a storm of the magnitude of Davis '98 or even Sailor Moon X '01, but it was our first one in quite a while. I want to talk now not about the contents of the rumor, but about the rumor itself and reactions to it.

The thing that really amazed me about this story, and I think Chris at Anime News Network has covered it pretty well in some of his forum posts, is the power that one site had to spread a rumor that could have easily been checked, as ANN did.  All of a sudden five other rumor mill sites pick up the story that another person wrote, forums start talking, and meanwhile the only proof is a couple words on a blog which (and I don't know about any of you but) I'd never heard of before nor plan to visit after.

UPDATE - 4/26/06 - And when the man dances, certainly boys, what else? The piper pays him.

Regarding the unsubstantiated rumor that Japanese magazine Animage has announced that Fox has picked up the rights for a live action Sailor Moon flick starring Lindsay Lohan, the May issue of Animage says nothing. I read through it myself. ANN is looking into the April issue and could write about that as early as tonight.

The people at the Booksprice website e-mailed us directly to mention that WoL is available on their Best Pricing search. I found it amusing that the company took the time out to go to the WoL website and request to be put on the order info page via the feedback form. Talk about grassroots. In any case, use that to find the cheapest copy of the book.

I figured it would be good to say at least something this month.

First off, thanks to Adam Kanal and Jon Mays for notice on the following. There's an unsubstantiated rumor (note the link) that Japanese magazine Animage has announced that Fox has picked up the rights for a live action Sailor Moon flick starring Lindsay Lohan. I'll pick up a copy of Animage this weekend and see if they actually say anything, but I'm currently rolling my eyes at this.