Uh Oh. Battle Royale American Remake

Unless Paul Verhoven directs I seriously doupt this film will pack any punch.
I guess it's long enough since Colombine for them to tackle this subject again.

Yawn... there's no way a remake will ever be as incendiary as the original, even if they do for a "hard R" as they claim.

Ok, let's see, so... toned down violence... sappy romance... American Idol winners in the leading roles... and a trailer which ends with "from the director of Flubber and Blue Streak. Rated PG-13."

Yeah, this'll work great. Hollywood is pathetic.

Here's a chance to remake a "classic" which is anything but for those who have read the book. The movie completely missed the boat. Hopefully we'll get a faithful translation this time, though I won't hold my breath.

Oh great and aaaaaanoooother plan to remake an Asian movie. But i don't care that much in this case because i thought BattleRoyale was just bad.

NO! Bad Hollywood. No. DON'T DO THAT.

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Can't wait for the poster trying to squeeze all the kids' floating heads into opposing lines!

If a shite American remake gets us an official DVD of the original, I'll take that.

I hate all remakes of Asian cinema!
boycot! see only the originals!!!

thanks Kurt for letting us know, we must take actions!

i wouldn't give it to verhoeven, he directed hollow man.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll kill Roy Lee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roy Lee is on the way to the victory, his victory. Destroy the asian cinema. Battle Royale is the latest years japanese mega cult movie and he got the rights to destroy it and as I can see, everybody in Hollywood is stupid and don't think to stop this F****** producer by the respect of the asian cinema.

I'm just confused by this more than anything ... the reason the film has never appeared on US soil is that the Japanese producers have been afraid that they could be held liable if there was a repeat of Columbine with any sort of link to the film, and they've turned down LOTS of offers to buy it as a result. It's just weird that they would now go and sell remake rights while refusing to make the original available in the US. Weird, weird, weird.

That said, while I don't see any particular need for this to be remade, Lee's history with remaking things has actually been pretty good. He understands and respects the source material far more than most of the cogs in the Hollywood machine and regardless of how they compare to the source material his remakes have on the whole actually proven to be pretty good films in their own right. I'd wait to see final product before going nuts on the guy. If nothing else it is virtually guaranteed to be better than the Japanese sequel ...

And I'm with JohnnyBender on this one ... I like the original film a lot, but if they're going to make another I'd love to see it be closer to the spirit of the novel.

"He understands and respects the source material far more than most of the cogs in the Hollywood machine and regardless of how they compare to the source material his remakes have on the whole actually proven to be pretty good films in their own right." lol! Roy Lee don't respect the source material anymore! A producer like this just think about the cash he'll make. All asian remakes at the moment was completly bad.

Hearing this news makes me want to kill some babies...

This is good news to me. I wouldn't mind seeing American teenagers put into a situation where they have to kill each other.

And it's not like a remake is going to take anything away from the original, so why not go for it? Also, it could have the potential for more people to get into watching other kinds of movies, so...I don't see what's bad about this at all.

What's next, Throne of Blood remake with Mr. 'I Screwed Dawson's Girl' playing Mifune?

X: Funny, Director Jim Sheridan seems to be prepping a remakie of Ikiru...

I disagree, Nova. Of Lee's completed films - the only thing we have to judge him by - all have been very true to the sources. The Ring was altered some to deal with some cultural differences but was quite a good film, and there are several aspects of The Grudge that I prefer to Ju-On. Of the stuff he's done so far only The Lake House looks to be a serious mis-step and that's largely due to casting issues.

And he's got what look to be a good number of solid titles coming, particularly The Visiting and Smoke.

Does he respect the sources? Well, he's the guy who's gone out and hired Takashi Shimizu, Hideo Nakata, Yam Laranas, Victor Garcia, and a few other very well regarded foreign directors and given them the chance to work on legit, a-list Hollywood films. Nakata obviously thinks he's been well served by Lee's remakes of The Ring and Dark Water since he signed on to do The Ring 2 himself and is doing another Lee produced film (The Entity) next and is still rumored to be involved in the remake of The Eye ...

I know some of the directors who have worked with - and sold rights to - Lee and they have nothing but good things to say about the man and the way he's treated both them personally and the material they've brought to the table.

So far there are way more pluses than minuses in Lee's career and I'm more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until I see some reason to do otherwise. God knows I'd MUCH rather see this in his hands than in the Weinstein's.

"X: Funny, Director Jim Sheridan seems to be prepping a remakie of Ikiru..."

I bet Jack can't wait to get his hands on a role like that...

I am with Todd on this one... but at the same time I also think that it will be very hard for a remake to get anywhere near the qualities that made the original so special. To try to make the American version special in it's own right they should go for a special director. Verhoeven might be a good choice (but he has said that he likes to give genre-films a rest for a while; even he himself was dissapointed with Hollow Man, a project he took only for the money) but I was thinking more in the lines of... I don't know, John Waters, Harmony Korine... someone who likes to cross a few lines and isn't afraid to punch a few people in the face

The things that made Battle Royale work (IMO) was that it was

A) Trashy and exploitive
B) Had a sense of fun doing it.

It's tough to get that balance, but the original did it almost note perfect.

Ok guys, I understand what you say but, you miss one thing. Making remake is not because they like and respect the original movie. No way. Making remakes is something like: we don't have anymore inspiration and what about to steal ideas from others directors and producers to make CAS$H. Its the Hollywoodian vision of cinema since a lot of time. They make remakes since the birth of cinema.

I didn't see all old american movies like Dawn of the Dead, Amityville, The Fog, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, When a Stranger Calls... I not agree with american remakes of american movies too. I study in cinema and I have no intention to live my life in Hollywood just to make cash. I really prefer to make good independant movies and not to destroy the other's movies by stealing their stories just to make stupid bucks without respecting directors who have talent.

We don't care about: "there are several aspects of The Grudge that I prefer to Ju-On". The grudge was really bad but Ju-On was great. The Ring was nice (and partialy like 6th sense) but Ringu was a great cult movie. American Dark WAter was a bad psychological drama about a mother and her sister but Dark Water was a brillant horror movie such as Ringu. Just think about it in the way to respect the works of others. Copying is easy but creating is HARD.

Maybe they should just call this "Final Exam" or something like that. It wouldn't surprise me.

I still can't believe this news. Makes me wanna gouge my eyes out.

-Elliot

I get where you're coming from Nova, and would prefer to see originals over remakes as well, but if you think the original films were about anything other than cash you're very much mistaken ... I doubt there's an industry anywhere in the world that milks a franchise more than Japan ...

And of course they're about cash. It's an industry, people do it for a living. I don't fault anyone for trying to make a buck, the question is HOW they go about doing it and what Lee has shown me is that he's a fan of the genre, he cares enough about the originals to involve the original writers and directors wherever possible, and he tries to use the remakes to showcase original talent and launch those directors into larger careers. I don't have a problem with what he does.

What Roy Lee does is can't be called respect. Ok, it probably give a chance to the directors like Hideo Nakata or Takashi Shimizu to make movie out of Japan. But, Look at The Ring 2, 50% directed by Nakata. What a mess. In The Grudge, the remake, Shimizu was confronted to the Hollywoodian way to make a horror movie, making people jump from their seats. Shimizu wasn't at his highest performance in this movie. Look at John Woo or Jackie Chan. Once a time out of HK, they began to make bad movies. These Japanese directors will not have their best times out of Japan. Its only a way to become well know in the industry but I'm sure they don't do that to make good movies. Roy Lee is one of those guys who what to make cash by using ideas of others without making any big effort like to write a script or direct a movie. His only job is to watch a lot of movies to see what is the best and buy rights to make remakes without thinking if he'll find a better director than the original to make the movie. Its a lot easier than to find a good idea.

And people don't care about the director who made The GRudge for exemple. I saw it in theatre and all people were just confused and tired about the movie because it was bad. Remakes are ONLY to make CA$H and to enterteinment people who don't care about the real cinema.

i'm sure roy lee's remake, The Departed, will be a good movie but alas there is only one martin scorsese and leonardo di caprio.

now martin scorsese doing battle royale would be interesting with ummm, himself playing kitano.

Er ... Nova? Nakata directed 100% of The Ring 2, was involved from the script writing stage and fully approved of the changes. And, honestly, Ringu 2 was a horrible mess as well. And The Grudge isn't Hollywood AT ALL, it's pretty much shot for shot stuff Shimizu did in his Japanese work, they simply took elements of the two v-cinema Ju-Ons and blended them with the theatrical. The only real difference is that the American version lacks the title cards that tell you who will die in the next segment. And no, Roy doesn't write or direct, but that's because he's a PRODUCER. Criticizing a producer for not directing is like criticizing a car salesman for not having ice cream. I mean, sure, it'd be nice if everyone had ice cream but it's not his job. I get that you don't like remakes. I get why you don't like remakes. But get your facts straight.

And yeah ... Scorsese as Kitano would be hilarious ...

Okay ... last thing on this, but I'm just baffled that someone would claim Shimizu is some sort of pillar of originality in Japan, or anywhere, for that matter. The man has made the exact same film FIVE TIMES. FIVE!! Once in America, four times in Japan and by the time he's done he'll have made the same film SEVEN TIMES! There is a third theatrical Ju-On film in the works in Japan which will make two Japanese v-cinemas, three Japanese theatricals, and two Americans - the second of which will apparently diverge significantly from the story line of the second Japanese film to bring some originality IN to the series. But I'm just amazed that anybody could suggest that the American Grudge somehow devalues the Japanese film when they're OBVIOUSLY intent on running the series into the ground in Japan themselves ... it boggles the mind.

I like Shimizu a lot, but the Ju-On films aren't remotely original and never have been. They're very well executed, yes, but incredibly derivative and were produced purely to make a quick buck, even in their Japanese incarnation.

Ok, about Nakata on The Ring 2, it don't care, we are agree, it was a mess. I saw somewhere that the first director was kicked out or something like that because he wasn't able to finish the movie so Nakata was hired.

I think you probably didn't understand what I said about Roy Lee that is not able to direct. I said, Roy Lee is one of those guys who want to make cash by using ideas of others because he's not able to make any big effort to become a director or a scriptwriter. Its like: I'm Roy Lee and I don't have any talent in cinema so I steal ideas from asian directors so I can make big bucks easy and I don't care about respect.

Todd, I think you can understand what I say but you probably don't study or work in cinema and you probably watch movies for the entertainment so maybe you don't really care about the respect of other's work.

But about Shimizu, ok, he made something like the same movie several times. And yes, its was probably made to make quick bucks but he didn't remade any movie as I know. But he had a low budget for it. Its a TV movie and not a Theatrical. But, he created new things in japanse horror. Ok, it looks like Sadako but, the woman with long hair, it exist since a long time in japanese cinema. Nakata and Simizu took this element and give it a second life by their vision. So Ju-On was great for that. Now, if you look at low budget japanese horror movies, you can see that the Nakata/Shimizu wave gave ideas.

So, I think we can talk about it for a long time and as we talk, the subject just going everywhere.

All producers do is taking ideas from others and try to make money from them, that's their job. Every producer does it.
At first I was happy to see some of the asian films remade because there is a lack of clarity and comprihension in many of the films that don't cross the cultural barrier or are simply porly written. But the sad fact was that the americanised version were watered down or simply boring, like Dark Water. I was never a fan of Ju-On and the remake was no better.
Americans are so sensitive about teenagers and guns so I can't see the Battle Royale remake packing any punch. Plus the whole generation gap that exists in Japan and is a huge part of the story is none existing in the states so that point is out the window right away.

It was just a matter of time.. Still hurts though, dont it?

It should pack a punch, therefore I thought about directors who could bring that to it, but I forgot about the sensitivity about teenagers with guns (in the US this is a reality, in countries like mine where guns are very restricted, it's almost always the stuff of fantasy). The generation gap is another thing I didn't think of (Japan having the largest relative amount of elders of any country) but there are a few gaps (rich and poor, fat and thin :-) that are becoming serious problems in the US, maybe the satire in the remake could focus on one of these problems! :-)

Hehe, yeah, rich people putting poor people on an island to kill each other off. That should go over well. Maybe they should just make it about America turning some third world country into one big Battle Royale zone. Now that might equal the original in shock factor.

"I said, Roy Lee is one of those guys who want to make cash by using ideas of others because he's not able to make any big effort to become a director or a scriptwriter. Its like: I'm Roy Lee and I don't have any talent in cinema so I steal ideas from asian directors so I can make big bucks easy and I don't care about respect."

Nova, you are so far over the line here that it's just ridiculous.

1. EVERY film has a producer. Most have several. VERY few producers write or direct. That is not their role. FILMS DO NOT GET MADE WITHOUT PRODUCERS. They are as important - and often arguably more important - than the director. Criticizing someone for being a producer and not a director or writer is just asinine.

2. You are making sweeping moral judgements about a man who you have no knowledge of and have had no contact with. Who appointed you arbiter over the morality of Roy Lee's actions? How the hell would you know WHAT his motivations are? Let me tell you something: unlike you I HAVE had contact with Lee on a handful of occassions and on every one of those occassions he has struck me as a very sincere man who is a legitimate fan of these films and this genre and is doing whatever he can to make good films.

3. Again, unlike you, I am in very regular contact with one of the directors currently working with Lee, that being Yam Laranas of Sigaw. Laranas has been involved in EVERY stage of the purchase and remake process and is in LA right now taking part in the script writing process and laying the ground work to shoot the remake himself. Because of Lee Laranas now has a legitimate international career, big time management, and has been treated with nothing but respect with Lee et al asking for his input on every level when they could easily have cut him out of the process. Does Laranas feel disrespected? Hell no. And this is not an exception to the rule, this is how Lee does business, because unlike many others in Hollywood he actually seems to care about the people he works with. Who are you to say that Lee has disrespected Laranas and the other directors he has worked with when those very directors say otherwise? People genuinely like working with the man, which is why they come back for more.

4. If your objection is that film makers have run out of ideas, are creatively bankrupt or are unconcerned about what has come before them, then where are your complaints about Shimizu repeating himself? About Taka Ichise running the J-horror formula into the ground? About Hideo Nakata making Ringu 2 - a film that totally tramples all over Rasen, the original Ringu sequel, simply because that film didn't make any money? Where are the complaints about Red Beard and The Banquet lifting from Shakespeare? Where are the complaints about Takashi Miike remaking The Quiet Family and Battles Without Honor And Humanity? Where are the complaints about The Sinking of Japan? The endless variations on Godzilla and Ultraman? These objections are incredibly one sided, with people getting all hot and bothered about Asian films getting remade but not much caring about anything else, and I'm honestly getting very tired of it. If you're not objecting to Asians remaking other Asian films, or Asians remaking western films - both of which which happen ALL THE TIME - then the only conclusions to make are either that you are blissfully ignorant about the way the Asian film industry works or that this is purely a race based issue, that you only take issue when white people remake Asian films.

5. If your objection is that these films are made to make money, then you are in a position where you need to either never see another film again or just shut up about it. Every film ever made, every theater ever built, every DVD ever produced exists only because of the potential to turn large profits. Every single one. While you're at it never read another book, buy another record, turn on your television, see another play, etc etc etc. The days of "pure art" died in the middle ages. Get over it.

Assuming it ever gets made - most things optioned never do - this film, like any other, will need to be judged on its own merits, whether it is a good film or not on its own terms. If word had come out that Lee was planning to turn Battle Royale into a romantic comedy then, by all means, I'd say fire away because he'd be damaging the source material. But nobody's said that and there's nothing in Lee's histroy that suggests he'll do anything other than try and make a good adaptation of this. And for that you spout off that you'll "kill Roy Lee"? Get a grip.

I just want to say i am sick of people remakein films. Battle royale is a wicked film. If it wasn't 4 BR i would neva have sat down to watch another film from another country with subtitles.
Can't the people in the movie world come up with there own ideas for a movie.
Come on they have to steal moves from other people, books, tv shows ect.
Put ur f-ing heads 2gether and come up with 1 idea of ur own.
There have bin meny films that people have said were great such as the ring. Ive asked have u sin the orig vers. The don't even know its a remake.
To me thats stealin the credit away from the people who have put there time and effert in to make it a hit in the 1st place.
The only reason they remake these films is cause most of the world is to boneidle to site and read the sub's.

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Great remakes DO happen people. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) was an excellent remake. It brought the film to a whole new audience, people who weren't alive 30 years ago for the original and people who don't watch older movies. There will always be people who will contest that the original of ANYTHING was better than its remake, but more often than not they are basing their comparison on nostalgia instead of content.

Battle Royale was never released in North America, as far as I know. This will give the mainstream a chance to see it.

So calm down. Save your bitching for when the film gets released.

Hear hear. And Dawn of the dead was a great remake as well. Plus. We don't know if Lee and company will adapt the book from scratch or go by Fukasaku's script.

Todd, ok, you have a certain link with Roy Lee. Good for you if you want. I don't care about your relation with this man and it don't make what I said false. Maybe he is a good guy but what he does is not good. Roy Lee made a hit with The Ring and took the opportunity to take other movie rights. One remake can be ok but, 3, 4, 5 6 7 8 9 10..., just no! Like I said before, The Ring was just good but, The Ring 2, what a mess, Dark Water, what a big mess and The Grudge, don't tell about it! All remakes comming will be just bad but maybe The Departed will have a chance because of Scorsese.

So, ok, Lee have talent to buy movie rights but, what he will do when the asian remake will be at the end? Why not begin to RESPECT asian director's works and just buy rights to make movie adaptation from novels like the fabulous The Shining? Miike remade The Quiet Family, I knew that but its ok. Their is a several difference between Korea/Japan and US/Japan. A big culture difference.

Lan said a right thing that I forgot. "The only reason they remake these films is cause most of the world is to boneidle to site and read the sub's."

Its true, Americans don't want to see a movie with subs at theatre. A dubbed movie is not enough, its still asians or europeans on the screen. They want Americans because it represent theirselves and most of the time, an asian in a american movie is more used to be a little second actor than a leading actor. Europeans have guts to go watch a movie with subtitles but in america, its just for people who really care about foreign movies. My first language is french, somtimes, I rent some english or foreign languages movies on dvd with french dub. I just don't care about the french dub because I know that the sound is not the true and all what its said in the movie is not the real text and bla bla bla... I prefer to watch the movie in the original language with english or french subs to better understand the actor's expression when he speek in his own language. It makes a BIG difference. Maybe you do that too, but normal people in america don't care about foreign languages or when they just heard watashi wa, they laugh!

To finish, I don't want you to be OWNED by what I say or I wish you don't want the same thing about me. Ok, you have more connections than me with professionnal people like Lee or several directors but it don't make any difference because you don't seem to have more respect than me for all the asian culture and these directors and producers in asia who don't just think to copy americans just to make cash and don't care if the movie is good or bad.

"Miike remade The Quiet Family, I knew that but its ok. Their is a several difference between Korea/Japan and US/Japan. A big culture difference."

And there we have it. Asians remaking Asian films is inherently okay but Americans remaking Asian films is not. No matter how you slice it that's just plain racism. Good lord man, do you know how offended a HUGE number of Koreans and Japanese would be to see you equating their cultures like that? Have you heard of the occupation? The segregated schools?

Nova, I'm right there with you in preferring originals to remakes, where I take issue with you is that you're treating Lee like the antichrist because he's found a niche.

"All remakes comming will be just bad"

You know this how? Because you're psychic? Or have you just written them off ahead of time because the projects were initaiated by an American? You make statements like this that have NOTHING to do with the individual films themselves, just your own sweeping assumptions about the people make them, assumptions based - as you've made quite clear - purely on the country they were born in. Once again, hello racism.

"these directors and producers in asia who don't just think to copy americans just to make cash and don't care if the movie is good or bad."

Are you suggesting that Asians don't remake American films? Shall I make a list? It's a long one.

"Are you suggesting that Asians don't remake American films? Shall I make a list? It's a long one. "

Yeah, I know, american remake in asia is a fact. But far away not more than what Lee ans some others are doing at the moment. We don't talk about 5 producers who watch american movie in their office just to find what will make cash and what will not and make bad movies with. You probably saw Kairo don't you? When the remake will open, go see it. I'm pretty sure you'll go out of the theatre and say: Damn, it was really bad! I'll go see it me too and I'm sure 100% it will be the same thing. After that, ask you a question: By the respect of Kiyoshi Korosawa, was it really usefull to make a remake of a good psychological/horror movie into a teenager horror movie where ghosts looks like the ones in The Grudge just for a fistfull of dollars and show to the normal american viewr that japanese make stupid horror movies?

You make me laugh talking about racism. In Battle Royale, there was teens (all japanese) with guns on an island and had to kill themselves to win. Hey, in the american remake, racism will probably be one of the most present element. Don't think it will be only cocasian teen.

But, stop talking about racism or anything like that, it will never end. I'll give you a situation. You made a movie 3 years ago. A very good movie that you wrote the script and one of your rich friend was the producer. You made a good piece of money with a good movie, what a chance and you won a price at Venice Film Festival. At this time, its not impossible this situation. So, one day, an american producer buy the rights to your friend and the remake is done. A mess, 2 stars on 5. Its no longer you very good movie but its now a damn teen horror movie that look like any others bad teen horror movie. So, now, all people in america know that this movie was really bad. 30% know that its a remake and in this 30%, 15% know that its a remake of your movie and the rest don't care about you. The other 70% just don't know that it is a remake and don't know you. When the 70% will learn that this crapy remake was made from your movie, they,lll probably just say, whats this director? He's really bad. So, here we are, a bad director remade your movie and made it a bad movie and made cash with that mess. You made a lot of effort to do this movie and in one shot, a stupid producer just wanted to make cash without thinking if the remake will be good. But, anyway, he made CA$H!

Some years later, people will go in movie rentals and they will see in the old section, your movie. They probably: Uh? a remake of that damn movie? Damn, it must be really bad! But, maybe, if the people learn by seeing your movie that you made the original, they'll probably don't want to see it because the remake was bad. But, in the 2 ways, they'll never know that the original was very good.

"Yeah, I know, american remake in asia is a fact. But far away not more than what Lee ans some others are doing at the moment. We don't talk about 5 producers who watch american movie in their office just to find what will make cash and what will not and make bad movies with."

So, again, you're saying you only have a problem with it when Americans remake Asian films. Which, again, boils down to racism.

"When the remake will open, go see it."

Nope, not a chance. I've got better things to do than waste my money on the remake of Kairo. The reason? Because it looks like a horrible film. Not because it's a remake, but because it looks like a loud, noisy piece of pointless trash. If it looked decent, then sure I'd go. The difference is I'm basing my decision on footage from the ACTUAL FILM while you are on the warpath based solely on the basis that Americans are involved. Making value judgements based purely and solely on the nationality of the people involved - as you are clearly doing - is racism.

And, for the record, if you're bringing up Pulse then it's worth noting that the minds behind this one are the Weinstein Brothers and not Lee, and unlike Lee the Weinsteins have a long and well documented history of predatory business practices which I have NEVER condoned.

"Kiyoshi Korosawa, was it really usefull to make a remake of a good psychological/horror movie into a teenager horror movie"

Nope, not at all. They have clearly disrespected the source material. But again, this is not a factor of it being a remake, but one of it being a BAD remake, just like the new version of The Omen, is by all accounts, a horrible remake. The fact that one film is bad does not imply that all films by that film maker or by that company are bad nor does it imply that similar films by other companies must by neccessity be bad. All it means is that one film is a bad film. And, honestly, there area LOT more bad films made - whether original material or otherwise - than there are good ones.

You are taking one film and trying to use it as a normative case, applying that one film to every other one that follows it. The argument holds no water.

Unless you can show me a substantive reason to believe that a remake of Battle Royale is automatically going to be a bad film based on elements tied to this specific production - and it is my position that you can't since you know nothing about the approach they are going to take, the screen writer they are going to use, or the director they are going to attach since none of these things have even been decided yet - then your position boils down to "Asia good, America bad" and hence is, at it's core, racist.

My position, on the other hand, is that at this point it's far too early to have any position in either direction and thus there is no point at all in getting all worked up over it. In the right hands it could easily be the most biting piece of social satire since Fight Club, in the wrong hands it'll be something truly wretched. Until they actually start working on it there's no way to tell which it will be.

Beyond that attaching some sort of sinister motives to a man who is simply doing his job - and whose track record says that he does it rather well and consistently treats the people he works with very well - is foolish, juvenile, and just plain rude.

Todd, I see where you are coming from, this hate of American remakes is taking some extreme forms with sometimes unreasonable arguments.

However, I don't think what Nova means is anything racist. The problem is that there are 5 producers sitting in a room, watching movies from a foreign country, and when a movie passes that is "remake-material" they pass it to the remake-crew, and they go on about their business. It just seems like a very sterile process with not a grain of love, or even interest, in cinema. It's not really important which country is doing it, but right now it seems that only America is doing this kind of squeezing out remake after remake with no good reason, other than "people in our country don't like foreigners and reading subtitles."

Still, placing all the blame with Roy Lee is of couse unreasonable. Of all the people involved with all these remakes he does seem one of the more passionate an respectful, from what I've read. But I have to say, it would be nice if he used some of his connections to get a decent region 1 special edition DVD of the original Battle Royale released.

Todd, I don't remember saying "Asia good, America bad" and I don't think you can say that I'm a racist. If I were a racist, I don't think I would like to learn Japanese and Korean and watch foreign movies. Its simple, I just don't agree what Roy Lee is doing to the asian cinema. I never saw an other producers doing a thing like that. "A good joke is very funny the first time, the second time, less funny and after that, why telling the same joke over and over if it is not funny?". Same thing with asian remakes. The Ring was ok but after The Grudge, I don't think its nessessary to . I said what I had to say. Its not because Hollywood means CA$H that they have the right to be unrespectable to foreign cinema just to make themselves happy. I like what Greet Jan just said: "It just seems like a very sterile process with not a grain of love, or even interest, in cinema. It's not really important which country is doing it, but right now it seems that only America is doing this kind of squeezing out remake after remake with no good reason, other than "people in our country don't like foreigners and reading subtitles."

But about the remake. Battle Royale lead actors were teens. What kind of actors will be in the remake? What about Vince Diezel as Sawada? Hum, great actor! ;) And what about Kristen Bell as Noriko! Tobey Maguire as Nanahara! Paris Hilton as Mutsuko! Collin Farrel as Kitano!!! I'm sure the casting will be great! ;) Don't think about a better casting, don't think about a better soundtrack and don't think about a better director. The only last thing is, how they will adapt a story like that to the american culture?

" Why not begin to RESPECT asian director's works and just buy rights to make movie adaptation from novels like the fabulous The Shining? "

ummm. I think Stephen King has a few bad things to say about that adaptation...

and remember that BATTLE ROYALE and RING were based on books. I am sure that these remakes are also involving the authors rights to at some level.

Fact is the remake trend is here to stay for quite some time. Let's spend more time talking about fresh new works!

"and remember that BATTLE ROYALE and RING were based on books. I am sure that these remakes are also involving the authors rights to at some level."

Just read the books you'll see. The original Ringu and Battle Royale didn't completely respected the books but it was 2 very good movies. Remakes don't respect the books at all. Kairo was an adaptation too and some other japanese horror movie too. An adaptation is not the same thing that a remake. If you read a book, you can see the adaptation into movie after. But why see a bad remake of the original movie that was an adaptation of a book or comic? At the end, nothing is respected and you can see that in The Ring and its will be the same thing in Pulse and Battle Royale remake.

Nova, you're a waste of breath and effort. I ask you to give a substantive example and you can't, but rather than admit that you pull a random cast out of thin air. You are blinded by your own biases. And I certainly have no doubt you've got a serious fetish over Korea and Japan, that's perfectly obvious given the pedestal you've placed those two countries upon, but that has no bearing whatsoever on your obvious anti-Americanism. You don't have to hate everyone to be racist.

Geert Jan: the issue with Nova is not that he doesn't like remakes, it's that he specifically and solely is hammering on US remakes and making very personal attacks against one man in particular, who he has no direct knowledge of, based solely on the basis of nationality. If he treated Japanese remakes or Korean remakes in the same manner you could make an argument that it's an ideological stance against the remake process in general, but he has been VERY clear that anything Asia does is fine by him, no matter what the motivation is. Just read his responses about Shimizu plundering his own series for profit and Miike's remakes. If you're anti-remake, be anti-remake, that's fine. Nova is purely and solely anti US. That's a racist position.

As for dogging the process because the idea of producers sitting in a room and discussing whether they picture a possible remake being profitable, this is different from the process gone through with every other film ever made how, exactly? This is what producers do. If they don't think a film will make money, they don't make it. What Lee and other producers like him do, however, is actually considerably different. Lee is not a studio producer, he's freelance. This means he buys options on things and then represents them around Hollywood, shopping them and trying to convince studios that they're worth spending money on. Obviously, yes, financial considerations are key but you simply don't get out there and push something every day unless you care about it and believe in it. There are easier routes to profitability in Hollywood than the one Lee has chosen, he's chosen this one in particular because he's a genuine fan and wants to bring these stories and the talents behind them to a larger audience. I'd prefer it if everyone saw everything in its original form, but the basic reality is that those who care enough to do so already do while the vast majority of those who don't watch foreign films now never will. You want to break a foreign director in Hollywood? Give him an English language film. Want to convince a studio that it's worth taking a risk on an outsider? Attach them to a proven winner. This does both at once.

As to the notion that an inferior remake - and yes, there are plenty of them - somehow devalues the original my own experience is that the opposite has been true. Early on when I began exploring international film one of the easiest ways to do it was to follow the remake trail back to the original, regardless of the quality of the remake. After all, there must have been something worthwhile in the original to convince people it was worth remaking, no matter how badly the remake got botched. I know I'm not the only one that thinks this way. And though I've actually never seen either I can also say from personal experience that the remake of The Vanishing has permanently etched into my mind the fact that the original is superior, thanks to critics wasting no chance to point it out. That is one film that VERY definitely received increased exposure here thanks to an inferior remake. If people are going to ignore an original it seems to me far more likely that they would do so only in the case that the remake is considered superior - after all, why then go back and watch an inferior take on the material? When everyone in the press is saying the original's better that will only spur people to go and find the best version available.

As for a US release of the Japanese Battle Royale ... the fact that it hasn't happened has nothing whatsoever to do with US companies not trying to buy the original. They have. Many people have tried and been turned down. I know someone myself who tried to buy it at Cannes this year. The film hasn't made it to the US because the Japanese rights holders don't want it to, which is why - waaaaaaaay back in my original comment - I wrote that I found it odd they had sold remake rights.

"I said what I had to say.

Things that Nova has said, a collection:

"I'll kill Roy Lee!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roy Lee is on the way to the victory, his victory. Destroy the asian cinema. Battle Royale is the latest years japanese mega cult movie and he got the rights to destroy it and as I can see, everybody in Hollywood is stupid and don't think to stop this F****** producer"

"All asian remakes at the moment was completly bad." (directed specifically to American remakes of Japanese films)

"But about Shimizu, ok, he made something like the same movie several times. And yes, its was probably made to make quick bucks but he didn't remade any movie as I know ... the woman with long hair, it exist since a long time in japanese cinema. Nakata and Simizu took this element and give it a second life by their vision. So Ju-On was great for that." (So when Shimizu repeats himself and lifts concepts from earlier films, that's perfectly okay, but only when he does it in Japan)

"So, ok, Lee have talent to buy movie rights but, what he will do when the asian remake will be at the end ... Miike remade The Quiet Family, I knew that but its ok." (So, in one fell swoop, an American is bad, while a Japanese remaking a Korean film is okay, because as Nova says later in the paragraph, Koreans and Japanese are basically the same)

"these directors and producers in asia who don't just think to copy americans" (because evidently Asians don't remake American films, followed in the very next comment by ...)

"Yeah, I know, american remake in asia is a fact." (because evidently the actually, do, but it's okay in this case because they are Asians remaking American films and evidently motivated by a higher calling than profit)

"Todd, I don't remember saying "Asia good, America bad"" (see above. It's called a double standard Nova, and you've got a huge, glaring one.)

To recap:
Roy Lee, who has to date produced a grand total of six films, deserves death.

Takashi Miike, on the other hand, who is a self described director-for-hire with at least four direct remakes in his filmography (Full Metal Yakuza, Graveyard of Honor, Happiness of the Katakuris, Young Thugs), a fifth currently in the works, several projects admittedly done just for cash and exposure, and who has written a grand total of ZERO of his own films - he has a story credit on Yokai (which is also a quasi remake) and a writer credit on TV project MPD Psycho - is "okay".

Why is a Japanese director-for-hire doing remakes okay when an American producer doing remakes is not? Apparently because one of them is Japanese.

Ok Todd, you won. I'm a racist, especialy anti-US and I have a serious fetish over Korea and Japan. LOL. If I was an anti-US, I did probably said things like "I hate americans, fuck americans". About the Korea/Japan fetish, I don't remember having any fetish... I have a preference for asian movies probably because I like others races and foreign culture but I don't at americans just for that. If it was the fact, probably that I would have no interest about looking at Twitch dayly to see news about american, latin, european... movies. As I guy who have interest in art, music, cinema, photography and live by these things, I must have respect for who have talent more than who made things just for cash without love. I keep the right to unlike and critic who seem to use cinema only for cash and make it excessive like Roy Lee or Uwe Boll. It seem you have a certain knowledge about cinema but its seem you don't really care about respect in the field and about differences between cultures like American/Japanese. Maybe you don't really think about the repercutions of making a bad remake from a good movie of different culture. Ok, asians made some remake of american movies but, I don't remember it was the same way that Roy Lee is doing. If Japaneses make remakes of their own movies, its their problem. Same thing about Hollywood but as we see in Hollywood, its become more a problem than anything by the number of remakes.

Last thing, go look at the forum about Roy Lee on imdb if its not already done. You'll see that I'm not the only true fan of asian movies who dislike this man. Probably because I'm not the only to realle think about respect.

Now Todd, its finish for me. This pseudo-debate is going anywhere. See you in an other topic where maybe, we'll be agree together.

In some ways I'm stunned and appalled BR is getting Yankee Doodled. but then on the other hand it's another chance to see the sotry told from another artistic POV.

OK...so time to speculate on the casting. Let's imagine it will be already somewhatknowns in H'wood.

Here's my guesslist for casting (assuming casting will be multi-racial...and not necessarily real teens:

Kitano/Coach Tanno: Tommy Lee Jones
Nanahara/Jack (my US version's name): Jesse McCartney (actor/singer)
Noriko/Nora: Ashley Olsen (one half of Mark-Kate & Ashley Olsen)
Kawada/Wade: Jesse Metcalfe (desperate housewives)
Mitsuko/Misty: Kristen Cavalliri (Laguna Beach)
Chigusa/Chelsea: Avril Lavigne (singer)
Kiriyama/Kick: Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the middle)
Mimura/Michael: Bow Wow (singer/actor)
Utsumi/Sam: Jamie Lynn Spears (lil sis of Britney)
Nobu/Nick: Alex Black (actor)
Motobuchi/Eugene: Kevin Covais (American Idol)
Sugimura/Sean: Zac Efron (High School Musical)
Niida/Nate: Aaron Carter (actor/singer)
Megumi/Megan: Rihanna (singer 'SOS')
Satomi/Sara: Kelly Osbourne (reality tv star)

Battle Royal is one of my favourite movies, and it will be interesting to see what they do with this and how this story will equate to a different culture, but I just get the feeling it's a car crash waiting to happen.

Stonedog, that would be (besides Tommy Lee) possibly the worst casting ever, are you serious man?

I wish to say good luck to the guys remaking this film. I hope they do a good job because if not i will slay them. I read the book and it was perfect. One of my favorite books, but if the film isn't great I will kill everyone that had anything to do with the making of the film. Very violently!

Stay Frosty

i have to say that battle royale was one of da best movies that have beenn created since...ever and i actually watched it the day before yesturday and couldn't get my head off it... if there is an american version den wateva but it can't beat the japense version...and i watched the seconf movie last night.hehehe :)

Stonedog, I hate to do this... but after Tommy Lee Jones, your list is guaranteed to make the American remake send up a super-stink. Avril Lavigne? An Olsen twin?

Or were you poking fun at how low American "teen" fare has sunk these days?

In which case, I salute you!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! damn americans always have to remake shit. then they remake it crappy! the only american remake i enjoyed was the grudge 2 and it was directed by the same director who made Ju-On. It makes me want to just strangle who ever bought the rights. I bet you the main characters are going to be all blonde and totally perky dude. I wish they would stop remaking asain films, UNLESS they involve the director or producer from the orginal film.

I don't think this movie will live up to the original unless someone like quentin tarentino directs it or produces it. I mean... I'm not saying it will be bad or anything but American horror films do tend to cut away from the storyline and are filled with blind gore. And I highly doubt they'll have the characters in 9th grade. I'm in 9th grade! I can't really see my classmates trying to kill each other... I don't mind watching teens kill each other. Happens everyday. They'll probably be seniors or something.

And the whole racism thing. Not about remakes or anything but I do believe that this movie will have racist aspects to it. I TRULY believe that a black kid will die because some other kid hates black people. (I'm black so no hating on me. I just notice that black men always die for some reason). Second, stereotypes will play an aspect. Preppy girls? Gonna die. No doubt. Probably be a sex scene somewhere. Main girl and guy kiss and go all gooey-eye on us. Oh well... just don't automatically say that the movie will suck because it's a Roy Lee remake. Give it a chance. Wait for youtube or DVD!

You may not know this but one of the studios producing this did "The Departed". "The Departed" was a remake of the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs". If they can somehow pull if off with this remake, then it will be awesome.

The Departed was amazing. Thing was, it was set in 9th grade for a reason. In Japan, ninth grade is equivalent to 8th here. Its the last year of middle school, so it'll be set there most likely.

Ever since I saw the original I wanted to see a remake. They could make it better. Its a possibility. Deal.

forget Columbine, the execs' consciences are now battling with Virgina Tech.