Screen Rant » afro samurai

NY Comic Con 2009: Afro Samurai: Resurrection

Kofi Outlaw — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:56:59 +0000

Afro Samurai kept popping up unexpectedly during this year’s New York Comic Con! First came the big reveal from legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike that he wants to do an Afro Samurai film; then came the hours I spent playing the Afro Samurai video game on the convention floor (sweet!).

Finally came the best bit of Afro Samurai news of all! Comic Con was offering an exclusive screening of the sequel to Afro Samurai, Afro Samurai: Resurrection!

And it was a screening that I will never forget…

…because they totally screwed it up!!!

First mistake: they held the screening in a sixty person room for what turned out to be a crowd of hundreds– most of whom ultimately got turned away. (Do they NOT know that people love Afro Samurai??? Come on! He’s a badass swordsman who maims and kills, smokes crooked joints and has a huge Afro! What’s not love?)

Secondly, I don’t know who was responsible for obtaining the screener copy of Afro Samurai: Resurrection, but that person needs to get their ass kicked AFTER they get fired.

It was like someone had tried to burn a copy of the disc at too high a speed: it skipped and froze so often that finally the frustrated tech geeks started fast-forwarding over entire chapters. And that’s about when most of us in the screening got up and walked out.

I’m not allowed to complain too much, because, you know, I had a free press pass for Comic Con–but I know that a lot of the people I met in the screening DID pay to be there and were rightly pissed about the screw up. And rightly so. This is Comic Con, after all. GET IT RIGHT.

(I would like to take a moment to remind you that they don’t call us Screen Rant for nothing.)

Aside from the total failure on the tech front, the first fifteen minutes of Afro Samurai: Resurrection that I did see were well in line with what fans have come to expect of the series. Can’t wait to see the rest.

Afro Samurai: Resurrection stars Samuel L. Jackson, Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill. You can pick up the DVD in stores now.

Exclusive: Takashi Miike Interested In Making ‘Afro Samurai’ Movie

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:57:32 +0000

My first big panel at this year’s NYC Comic-Con was famed Japanese director Takashi Miike’s world premiere of his new film Yatterman, adapted from the popular Japanese cartoon series from the 70’s.

While the footage for Yatterman had me reliving my worst Speed Racer flashbacks (shudder), it was during the Q&A session after the screening that I was able to mine for the real gold: Takashi Miike told me first-hand (well, via translator), in no uncertain terms, that given the opportunity he would love to make a live-action Afro Samurai film aimed at U.S. audiences.

Score!

The subject of Afro Samurai came up during the Q&A when Miike was asked what animated influences led him to make Yatterman, his biggest-budget project to date and a far departure from his B-movie horror/comedy origins like Ichi The Killer. Miike said that 70’s anime like Yatterman, Speed Racer, and Dragonball had all been huge influences on him personally. He then added that American comic books and animated films had had their own impact on him. One of his favorite recent pieces of American animation: Afro Samurai.

Takashi Miike expresses his heart’s desire: To make an Afro Samurai movie.

When given the chance to ask Mr. Miike a question, I followed up on his mention of Afro Samurai (a favorite of mine as well) and asked if he would ever consider making a live-action Afro Samurai for U.S. audiences if offered the chance. Mr. Miike’s response was clear:

“Of course I would,” Miike said, “If that [offer] ever happens, I’m counting on you to help out.”

Well consider this your helping hand, Mr. Miike.

Fans of Afro Samurai have been clamoring for a film adaptation ever since the series wrapped its first volume in 2007. The voice of Afro Samurai, Sam L. Jackson, has already echoed that desire to adapt the series for the cinema, and big-name entertainers like Outkast’s Andre 3000 have even expressed interest in starring as the Samurai with the soul-brotha hairdo. Could we be seeing the parts of a puzzle beginning to fit together?

Afro Samurai will have its second installment premiering this weekend at the NYC Comic Con; there is also a popular video game based on the series currently in stores. So you expect to hear some renewed buzz about the series in the coming months. In the meantime, Hollywood needs to take a hint and get Takashi Miike, Samuel L. Jackson and Andre 3000 in a room. Afro Samurai needs to be on the big screen.

What do you think? Is Takashi Miike the kind of director you would like to see helm an Afro Samurai movie? Hit us back and let us know.

Source: NYC Comic Con

Sam Jackson Has The Hots For Afro Samurai

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:14:25 +0000

MTV News recently spoke with Samuel L. Jackson and took the opportunity to pick his brain about everything Afro Samurai. The cult-hit anime series currently has a second season on the way, as well as a video game adaptation that was previewed at Comic-Con ‘08, which some thumb-jockeys are already calling “sick.”

With Afro Samurai poised to become the next big smash in anime, it’s no surprise that Jackson is already talking about a live-action film based on the series.

“We have a live-action plan,” Jackson revealed, saying that he wants to see Afro’s battle with Number One up on the big screen with flesh-and-blood actors. “Hopefully, that script will come together and we’ll be able to do that in the next two years or so.”

Nice. And since Jackson is also the executive producer of the TV series, he probably has the clout to make an Afro Samurai movie a reality.

(Wow, Dragonball, Cowboy Bebop, and now possibly Afro Samurai? Hollywood seems to be on a real anime kick.)

But who would possibly qualify to bring Afro’s afro to life? Jackson had an idea about that, too.

“You know, when I look at [Afro], I see Andre 3000,” Jackson grinned.”

Say what? 3000 (real name Andre Benjamin) has been a strong presence in films like Four Brothers and Be Cool, but does he really have the kung-fu skills to play Afro? (Shucks, considering how much funk the Outkast albums have brought to MY life, I’ll give 3000 a chance to play just about anything he wants. Call me biased.)

Does an Afro Samurai film sound good to you? And who would you like to see in the lead role?

Souce: MTV News