You know, I really can't imagine it being a continuation of the story. It would be more like a summary of the whole series (and I mean blender). I'm not against the idea, just skittish. For something so intense in the 26 eps to be cut down to at *most* a three hour movie would be mindboggling. The passion and drama of the characters would be trimmed into nearly nothing (The unsteady relationships to say the least). Besides, anyone who's seen EoE would agree that the hour-and-a-half? wasn't enough to spread out the heavy religion. Now imagine it being compressed further into about 30 mins. Granted most of the Angel fights could be removed, as well as "filler" episodes (and the last couple eps...), that would leave us with D&R/EoE for the last half and about 16-26 eps (10 either removed or Angel battle removed, ie ep 14: SEELE, Throne of Souls- the revew ep) to be scrunched into the remaining time. That's about 8 hours of time squeezed into a comparitively short frame.

Also, there's always the problem with finding convincing actors out there to play the part. For example, I would die if Elijah Wood walked out wearing Shinji's plug suit. I have nothing against him, but he's not Shinji. Or worse, Brad Pitt came out as Kaji and Tom Cruise playing Commander Ikari (sorry... I just associate them together because I first noticed them in Interview with the Vampire). Big name stars would loose a certain part of this, like if you can point to Misato and say, "I know her! She played in _________."

Granted, this rant seems as though I'm completely against the idea of a Live Action Eva but if they could translate a series into a movie well, I would be there on opening night in full costume (Misato, of course... erm... mebbe Ritsuko... heh...). o_O Geez... this has turned into a rant. Anyway, I guess my point is that they (the people making it) need to remember there are fans out there who have spent hundreds of dollars to collect the entire series, get action figures imported (because most American ones suck), and they have had their computer themed with the pilots for the past 8 years.

I'm not against live action anime's, oh wait yeah I am. This just seems to me a way to profit off of an already profitable series! Think of the merchandise, advertising, the fans would go crazy...fans like me that is...crazy... I really don't want a live action, what I would prefer is a continuation where Shinji and Asuka have to repopulate the Earth! HHAHAHA~ That would be something! Whohoooooo ^_~ but I am such a purist ne ;) You can e-mail me I like e-mails ~~chuu~~

Setsuna

As I posted in the Animeboards thread:

Is this going to be a re-telling of the series?
If yes, then will there be more than one movie?
If no, then I think the project faces serious structural problems if the goal is to maintain the impact of the series. If the goal is to have an Eva action movie, then I don't mind. That's their perogative.

If no, and the goal is to add new material to the NGE story, how much of the original staff will work on the project?
If some important staff and no Anno is the answer, then my expectations are guarded and I remain hopeful.
If lots or most important staff and no Anno is the answer, then I'll be excited enough to think they may pull it off successfully.
If no important staff and no Anno is the answer, then my expectations are low and I'll be worried about the outcome.
If Anno will be working on it in some significant capacity, then I think the prospects are good. Adding other important staff greatly increases these chances.

Of course, beyond just the story and the plot framework, picking the right actors and actresses is the next biggest hurdle. Megabytes have been spent on this hypothetical question on the Net and I agree with you, AerithReborn, that "popular" or even recognizable people should be avoided.

This is a double bladed sword if i ever saw one... Like Akira, Eva has been selected to recreated by the eliet of the American entertaiment industry. Should we sacrafice Eva for the anime industry becouse like The Matrix an Evangelion movie will rock the states... I think it will make it in the non anime culture becouse they dont hold it as a holy grail. Will I watch it yes will i like it... I dont know... but one thing i do know is the the Anime comunite should not hide something this great from those who are uneasy about anime we should share these thing and just think of Live action movies as retuiting tools in the the world and magic of japanese animation.

Being a longtime Gainax fan and supporter, this announcement has been nothing more than a bane for me as not only a fan of the series, but as an anime fan in general. Hollywood technology has come to a head where filmmakers wish to flex their abilities to blur the line between the worlds of animation and live work. But the very reason in why I admire animation so is the artistic license that comes along with animation.The idea that everything on the canvas is purely from the mind of a singular creator.Large scale live action films are the work of a larger sense of collaboration between the director,the art department, producers, distros, the general public,..etc..

It can be argued that animation is capable of being more self-indulgent than in any way a live action film can.The end result can usually be a more personal and reflective experience. NGE is one of those few 90s series that not only exemplifies this, but revels in it. Even though creative credit really belongs to Yamaga-san,and many members of Gainax,...NGE bore the scarred,reluctant face of Anno,something that cannot be duplicated.

There was a time whe I actually respected John and the folks at ADV for bringing NGE to the states.Even talked to a few folks at convetions to tell them how much I admire their work on it.But this is just arrogance and greed at work,...and not to mention a possible bail-out opportunity for Gainax, as it's had it's share of recent problems.Personally, I wish WETA the best,but I can only see this as yet another exercise in cashing in on the post-Matrix,anime-to-live action wave that is upon us.If this wave proves successful,..there'll be no future for anime.(something that Anno himself believes very adamantly.)

For me,the biggest insult is that Gainax for me was synonymous with breaking new ground instead of riding waves.

The mighty have indeed fallen.

I want to really believe in this, but I don't know that Evangelion is even something that is suited to the live-action medium- the expressions are too extreme to be reproduced except by the most gifted director, and I'm scared that the EVAs would look very, very stupid. And what if they made it into a kid's movie?

Tish, my follow up post http://www.drizzten.com/blargchives/000438.html quotes what Anno said in an interview about the movie. I deeply believe that there is no way he would allow the project to become a children's flick.

am soooooooooooo happy there is a live action movie of EVANGELION i hope it kicks ass and stuff i just cant wait till they get it up and running and the great EVAS come to live HELL YEAH i hope they get good people to play parts and good making of the EVAS and the ANGELS good luck you guy make it happen.

I found a site with lots of information about the new movie.

http://www.bareface.org/feor/devin/EvaSite/index.php

Or at least, sorted info.

Thanks for that link, SarcV. I can't keep updated on the plans for this all the time and that guy's format should work betta.

omg this one is really screwing with my head!!!
Evangelion probably should have been left at just the series without end of eva at all (sry, i liked it too, but it still shouldnt have been done, my opinion of course)so a big part of me says rehashing it in hollywood would be heresy, but then it mite turn out to be really good!!!!
i guess if it brings Annos amazing ideas to a wider audience than thats not really bad, loadsa purists still gonna hate it by default, and to be honest i cant really blame them. if its true to the original idea, i.e. eva really wasnt a happy story, and it really didnt have a happy ending, im not sure how well a story that has been likened in narrative to NIN's downward spiral album will be recieved in hollywood, suppose some accountant says 'hmm yeah thats great. but hows this, we make kaworu a girl and have shinji not have to kill him, but instead they like happily ever after together...' that would be a knightmare outcome for us all!
of course they mite do a great job, and it will end up an incredible pices of live action cinema, god knows its got the source material to make that possible!

hmmm to much caffiene on my part perhaps *twitch*

DANIEL RADCLIFFE IS MINE YOU CANNOT HAVE HIM HA HA I CANT WAIT TO SEE HIM AS SHINJI!!

I've been recently tracking the reports of this LIVE ACTION EVANGELION film from ADV-FILMS. It's just reported rumour confirmed adv-films that they would ever cast daniel radcliffe, but the funny thing is, "daniel is british, and well..Shinji just doesn't have a british accent. Were looking for someone that's all american, a goofy spaz with the intelligence spirk. Probably somebody like Jamie Kennedy, but a little younger and a lot thinner." So again, stop with the daniel radcliffe stories, it's a rumour that is false, and we as otaku's don't want no sticking british actors to fubar it up. Besides, gainax has high standards as it is.

British actors fubaring it up? Oh please. Please be careful when you say 'we otaku', because frankly, that indicates that I agree with you, and I don't. I think that british acting is generally superior to american, and only French acting is generally superior to British (I can think of a french fyutski just like that, and a french rei, though I fear by now my French Rei is far too old)

Now, the daniel things false, sure; but I can think of very few americans who could actually pull off shinji's character. The kid from Mercury rising and the Sixth Sense springs immediately to mind; but is he old enough? In order for the trauma etc to be convincing the actor will need to be capable of subtlty etc. Traits that are not championed in hollywood. Harry Potter as Shinji, maybe not; but I can certainly see Hermione as a very succesful asuka.

That being said, it's not inconcievable that Shinji could be acted by an american.

Gendo and Fyutski, on the other hand; I simply can't think of a single american actor. I could certainly see a younger John Cleese as Fyutski (he actually does serious quite well). The british have a deep stock of very understated, subtle and convincing actors.

The fact is Shinji doesn't have a british accent, he speaks japaense, and I was under the impression that most true otaku watched the subtitled version. It's absurd to argue based on which accent the dub has, because it's apocryphal.

I'm not looking fowards to this movie especially. I fear the worst; two groups of people walking out of the cinema. Otaku, upset because it missed a lot of complexity and depth of the series (which is inevitable) and people who haven't seen the original who are just confused.

It's likely that they'll make the same mistakes made with lord of the rings, which is too much action at the sacrifice of plot. I honestly couldn't give a toss how Shinji overcomes an angel; it's the effects before and after, and the structure of the series rewards that attitude. The interest isn't evas kicking angels asses, it's the psychological study of the essence of what it is to be human. Being the pessimist I am, I suspect we'll get a lot of heavy drawn-out action, and a summary of half-baked philosophy.

Ah; but if they cast Johnny Depp as Kaji I'll forgive them. He's the only person I can think of who could pull off Kaji, but I think he'd do it outstandingly.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but I don't think it's possible to condense 13 hours of exploration of ideas into 2 in a manner that is convincing, lucid and graceful. Still, with the people that they have working on it, and with their comittment, I think that if it can be done it will be done. I feel that they've taken on a harder job than lord of the rings, and stand to take a lot of flak; but I don't really think that the blame would lie with them.

Evangelion's a damn beautiful anime series; and a damn hard act to follow with a live action movie. The pluck it takes to undergo such a task is certainly comendable; and I certainly praise them for trying.

I have all the concept art from the DVD here:
http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/evalive_1/images.html
ENJOY!

I heard there is going to be two more films after the first one and there all going to summarize the series. the 1st one is supposed to be up until the part where Ramiel attacks me thinks.

uhh,hi everybody! i just want to say that as long as the actors really get into the character we have nothing to worry about. i just hope they really put their feelings and soul into acting so that they make a good rei/asuka/shinji,and i suggest that all the actors as a "must" watch NGE+D&R+EoE so that they understand their roles.So, either Harry Potter plays his ass off and makes a great Shinji or the next day after the premier he gets ripped apart by mad eva fans :)) bye

the film is going to be messed up and i'm going to be breaking some legs if it comes out.
people belive in neon genesis, and it should be kepted as a manga film.they are going to mess up the religious meanings to it. if harry potters in it then i'll burn down the cinima.
if it is going to be a film it should be maded in japan and have unknown actors.
i really can't belive that theres going to be a film, its going to wipe me out.

its a terible idea. why are americans so keen on grabbing all the japanese classics and turning them into CGI rubbish, NG is perfect as it stands and doesnt need to be made into a film. it will also spawn a huge new fan base who dont understand anything about the original and parade around wearing Ng t.shirts with Harry potter and a blue haired Hermonie Granger!!! (lol) God help us all if NG movie comes to pass. i hope it gets cancelled.
(although i reckon the young girl from donnie darko would make a kool Auska)

Well for me it wont make much difference. As for me cant wait for it to be put in the big screen. If you ask me i think it could work just put the best people to work this and it will be great. But i got to admit changing the original name will have dier consiquenses... and the cast suck (well atleast some of them).

Daniel Radcliffe as Shinji?... hmm... i think its o.k, i mean he got the looks but....i dont know, i think he cant be a good shinji, i watch harry potter and..well..his not that good in acting(sorry.. Dan fans (^_^)v ) shinji cry's alot of times in the Anime and i have never seen Mr. Radcliffe cry, even in the H.P movie. well... if he get's the part its o.k for me... maybe he can be a good shinji by the time they start to film the movie... ^^

hey.. Who's going to be Rei?

to all evangelion fans. i have new news about evangelion the live action movie. the movie is focest on the first 6 Episodes of the series. so auska wont be in the movie. only shinji and rei will be in the movie. and the movie will mostly be come out in 2007.because WETA is working on HALO the movie ( which i think is stupid)that will come out in 2007.