Frequently Asked Questions About the Movie
Since the beginning of this project several common questions arise from those who have joined me on the forums or email. I hope that these will help to answer those questions:
Why are you doing this?
Simple really, I think this series will make a great live action film. The long answer is that Hollywood seems to have taken a large interest in adapting comics, videogames, anime, ect. It may be inevitable that a studio may pick up the rights to Bubblegum Crisis as well, in which case we fans may be sorely disappointed in their adaptation. This project is designed for fan input, it is an opportunity for fans to make suggestions, requests and do's and don'ts for this film. It is meant for the fans to make an impact on this film.
Why can't it be animated?
There isn't any reason why it can't be. The fact remains animated films with mature or violent themes aren't successful. There are a few exceptions, such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Princess Mononoke, though these movies have done well in Japan and video sales are decent in America, none have been successful in American theatres. American animated films such as Fox's Titan A.E., Disney's Atlantis, and Square Pictures Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within are more examples of films that have failed in theatres and even in video sales. Is it only America? No, I want to be able to retell the original BGC story all over the world, including Europe, Asia, South America and even Africa if I can. To reach the largest possible audience I believe that a live action theatrical film is the best path to take. North America and Japan is where it has to start, it's here that will dictate the films success around the world.
Are you going to approach "Hollywood" studios?
This is the number one concern of fans. The bias is everything that Hollywood touches is corrupted. Considering the content of this series, to remain true to the story, characters and events, and for the fans and audience in general to leave the theatres satisfied, this film has to be high quality. High quality doesn't necessarily mean high budget, but since this series is sci-fi, and contains mechanical designs nearly unheard of in live action film, this film may need to be. The majority of the action scenes may need to be CGI as well, for the quality needed for them to look "real" only a hand full of studio's can create such FX. The primary one being George Lucus's Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). However, there have been recent releases, such as Sci-Fi Channel's © "Frank Herbert's Dune" and Screengem's © "Underworld", which suggest that quality work can be generated without Hollywood size budgets.
Are you going to direct and/or produce this movie?
No. I would not want to shame this film by placing it in the hands of an inexperienced production crew or studio. I am writing the script, however that doesn't guarantee that I will have any influence on the production of this film. It would be preferred that I hold some sort of control over edits, script changes, casting, ect as a consultant, in hopes that the film stays true to the fans expectations. However, the only way I see this happening is if I (or comittee) am able to license the rights for the live action adaptation before a studio does. Or I could be lucky enough that the studio recognizes my efforts outside of the script to include the fans, and allows me said abilities on the fans behalf, but the chances of this is next to nill.
Can actor/esses portray the emotion of the original characters?
This is the second major concern by fans. Not only are the actor/esses physical appearances important, fans don't belive that they can properly portray their favourite characters. Like the issue involving "Hollywood" studios, I don't know how to curb their fears. Ultimately a human can portray emotions better than an animated character, for the simple fact that an animator is trying to emulate human actions. The problem lies that an actor/ess is little different than the animator, they are still trying to emulate human emotions. The only answer I can give is that the better the actor/ess the better they will portray their character. Below each character description in 'Cast & Crew' to the left you will find an actor/ess that fans, including myself, have suggested for the respective character. All I can say is continue the feedback, if you know of an actor/ess that you feel can portray a character, let us know. If you have any disagreements with the current suggestions, let us know.
