Of all the reboots, spin-offs, and adaptations that TV has given us in recent years, I struggle to think of something that compares to Noir, reportedly picked up by Starz. Based on a 2001 Japanese anime series of the same name (how many live action anime adaptations are there?), the show will focus on two mysterious female assassins that join forces to battle a secret society and put the pieces of their connection together. Starz didn't release a premiere date for their newest pick-up, but I'd look for the show sometime midseason (January-March) or early next summer at the latest.
It'll be an interesting balancing act for Noir because you want to stay true to the source material while grounding the show in some sort of reality. Just from reading about the series online, it seems like it'll be like Nikita (dark pasts, two strong females, secret organizations, lots of stunts) meets Kick-Ass (graphic-ish violence) but with a darker tone. I'm glad the show was greenlit, mostly because TV can never have enough powerful, intense female roles and Noir has the potential to have a high body count to go along with some good character development.
Noir is the third Starz show currently in development, behind Boss (premiering in October) and Magic City (premiering in early 2012). It will be co-produced by frequent collaborators Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert (The Evil Dead, Xena: Warrior Princess, Spartacus: Blood and Sand).
Are you a fan of the anime series? How do you think a TV adaptation of an anime series will go? Who do you think should be cast?
a Noir live-action? awesome!
hope that they can do Noir justice, esp. with casting. I don't think it is easy to find an Asian girl good enough to play Kirika. things would be easier for Mirelle though. If Anna Torv is not involved with Fringe, I would like to see her as Mirelle. any suggestions?
hope that the adaptation won't go too far from the original. (*cross finger* cos Hollywood has the trend to mess anime up whenever there are adaptations. *sigh*)
one last thing though. Is it too surreal to ask Kajiura Yuki to compose for this tv series? Her score for the original Noir is phenomenal and it make Noir what it is.
a Noir live-action? awesome!
hope that they can do Noir justice, esp. with casting. I don't think it is easy to find an Asian girl good enough to play Kirika. things would be easier for Mirelle though. If Anna Torv is not involved with Fringe, I would like to see her as Mirelle. any suggestions?
hope that the adaptation won't go too far from the original. (*cross finger* cos Hollywood has the trend to mess anime up whenever there are adaptations. *sigh*)
one last thing though. Is it too surreal to ask Kajiura Yuki to compose for this tv series? Her score for the original Noir is phenomenal and it makes Noir what it is.
Starz is making a mistake. I am a huge fan of the show, and that's why I don't want to see a live-action version made. How about, instead of remaking anime, American broadcasting and movie companies come up with their own ideas for shows?
Seriously. Watch just episode 1 on Noir and tell me how they will do that in live-action without over budgeted special effects that will end up looking REALLY bad.
Also, Noir is NOTHING like either La Femme Nikita nor is it ANYTHING like Kick-Ass. Your comparisons are inane.
well we should wait and see. just give them a chance.(though I doubt about the quality, just like you. I just hope that if anything, Kajiura-san will compose for this one.)
hmm… "over budgeted special effects"? rrrriiiiigggghhhhhtttt… I don't know what you were watching, but what I saw was what? maybe a few explosions, and a whole lot of bullets. Even Kirika's intricate killings were…. well…. nothing you really could call the need for special effects… And since this IS Hollywood, the budget will be higher.
I'm glad for the fresh start. And with it's over 75% action, I'm sure american's will find it entertaining. Plus there's always the chance that they will come out with an actual music playing pocket watch!
My only concern is if they were to use an over abundance of blood. In the anime, no matter how many people were stabbed shot or otherwise killed, there was never any blood. (not enough to stick to my memory) The only time was the one episode where Kirika gets injured. So sure show blood. But don't have people bathing in it. :)
my main concern about this live-action is casting, music and plotline.
As a huge fan of Noir, I'm sceptical about the quality of such project : the japanese touch is not easy to imitate; this is dificult to find someone for "Kirika" and most of all Yuki Kajiura music give a soul at each scene and this can be replaced.
this could make a really good live action tv show. emphasis on could. the anime was great and id hate to see it ruined in an american adaptaition.
This one of my favorite anime's of all time. It had a killer plotline and character development was off the charts! Casting would hard but even harder to find a good Chloe/Chloay however you want to pronounce it. Other than being as good as the anime I would like to see what happens after Altena is taken out. I always wondered what happened after that.
Problem. There had been no mention of Chloe, or even Altena. Without them, the plot is clearly different. Another problem. They are giving Mirielle a FIANCE. Obviously, they are not going for the lesbian undertones that really made the show what it is. How can they have the bond they have in the anime if they can't come to care for one another the way they did at the end? After reading that bit of news, I have to say I have no hope for the adaptation.