Christopher McQuarrie to Direct Live Action Star Blazers Movie

Live action anime adaptations continue to be relatively hot in Hollywood, although up until this point we still haven't seen very many of them actually get made. That could change soon with the that Warner Brothers is bringing their Akira adaptation back from the dead. In addition, this week Skydance Productions has announced that they are planning to bring the '70s sci-fi series Star Blazers to the big screen and they have hired director Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) to make it a reality. The show is an English translation of the Japanese series Space Battleship Yamato and the basic premise is as follows:



"The year is 2199. There is no livable environment on earth to survive the radioactive contamination caused by planet bomb attack from outer space. Humans build underground cities to confront an unknown enemy called the Gamilons, however, their superior scientific and military power is so overwhelming that humans are getting closer to extinction, day by day. One day, a message arrives from a planet called Iscandar from deep within the Magellanic Cloud over 148,000 light years awayThe Battleship Yamato, which sank during the Pacific Warheads towards Iscandar. Time is running out - Earth has only one year left before it goes extinct. Can the Yamato save the Earth? Who are these mysterious Gamilons, and what is their purpose? The adventure begins!"




Clearly there are some similarities to Battlestar Galactica and the show has been praised for being far ahead of its time. The original Japanese series aired in 1974, years before Star Wars, and some even contend that it helped inspire George Lucas. It also clearly influenced all kinds of anime shows that would come after it, such as Robotech, Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. A live-action adaptation has already been attempted in Japan and resulted in the successful 2010 film directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Returner). Are you interested in a live-action Star Blazers movie and is Christopher McQuarrie a decent choice to direct it?
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