Mandalay Pictures Licenses Full Metal Panic! Film Rights

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Mandalay Pictures Licenses Full Metal Panic! Film Rights; Zac Efron in talks to star in film
Topic Started: Apr 7 2009, 08:33 AM (92 Views)
RommieSG	Apr 7 2009, 08:33 AM Post #1
Brigade Leader Posts: 1,013 Group: Brigade Leader Member #1 Joined: May 17, 2005	Quote: The Mandalay Pictures production studio has licensed the film rights to Shoji Gatoh's Full Metal Panic! high school action comedy light novels. The story centers around a brusque young sergeant named Sousuke Sagara who must protect an assertive high school girl named Chidori Kaname by masquerading (somewhat unsuccessfully) as a high school student himself. Actor Zac Efron (High School Musical, Hairspray, 17 Again) is reportedly discussing the project. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-...nic-film-rights ahem



Niko	Apr 7 2009, 04:36 PM Post #2
Traveller Posts: 418 Group: Henchmen Member #6 Joined: May 19, 2005	I'll get more fangirl-ranty over here. I'm sure I'm on record somewhere as being generally in favor of anime adaptations when they're well-chosen and done by people who kinda "get" the property. I see, say, a show like Cowboy Bebop as practically ideal for adaptation because it has a fairly western sensibility to the storytelling, anyway, and the key elements of bad a$$ mofo-ness, snarky banter, and cool spaceships are all things that Hollywood can do, and which fit well into the concept for a western sci-fi action movie. I'm not saying there aren't ways that Hollywood can screw up Bebop. There clearly are. But many of the elements that make Bebop a hit are things that Hollywood "gets" the appeal of. Moving on to FMP, and just the idea that they would consider Zac Efron for Sousuke is a clear indication that they don't get the point of the show. I don't know too many actors who are young enough to believably play high school, so I don't know who would be better, but you need someone with some serious "gravitas" for Sousuke. He's got to be a soldier FIRST and a high school student a way distant second. Casting a kid who is the king of high school-related actors completely misses the point! Even if Efron has some hidden depths that haven't been plumbed by his previous roles, this is just wrong wrong wrong.



RommieSG	Apr 7 2009, 08:10 PM Post #3
Brigade Leader Posts: 1,013 Group: Brigade Leader Member #1 Joined: May 17, 2005	I've gotta agree with you. Thankfully he's the one who's in talks to do the part, from what I get reading the article. It's not the Studio's idea, so perhaps they'll pass on him. I really don't like Live-Action adaptations of anime. There are things that you can do in anime that don't translate well into live-action. And FMP is something that I don't think will translate well at all. I truly fear a Speed Racer treatment when it comes to the Armslaves, especially Arbalest. It just makes me want to cry sometimes.



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