As we mentioned a few weeks ago, it looks like a North American remake of the AMAZING Asian film “Battle Royale” is coming. Honestly folks, if you haven’t seen this flick you really HAVE TO run out and find yourself a copy. Check Ebay or something.
One of the HUGE concerns I had about a North American remake was the fear that they make it a PG13 rated film. You have to understand… Battle Royale is deliciously violent. I mean REALLY violent with 9th grade kids killing each other in the most creative ways imaginable.
However, it looks like some good news is coming out way. The folks over at Cinematical offer us this:
(The Producer says) It will take place in America (like all his remakes save for The Grudge) and will still be about high school students. Lee said that to tone down the story, he could make it so the students are in jail (or juvie?) at the beginning, but he sees that as pointless. He also assures that the film will be R-rated — with a very hard R — because the original would have received an NC-17 if released in the U.S. Finally he admits to being a huge fan of the original and has no intentions of ruining it with a bad film.
So it’s going to be a “hard R”. Ok, to me that’s good news. What the most important thing is they get the right director. Doesn’t have to be a famous one, or even one I’ve heard of. Just make sure they interview and get a guy with the right vision and the skill to carry it out. This could be so ROUTH!
The point of Battle Royale is not that the kids get put on an island and forced to kill each other, its the fact that its a totalitarian government providing terror by comitting such a crime to these kids.
BR was a great book, and the film was good too, however, the film was filled with plot holes and problems and didn’t follow the best parts of the book.
Firstly, Nobu didn’t stab the teacher, the teacher raped Nobus carer which is why he lashed out and was killed. The film actually makes you feel sorry for the teacher, so its not fun when he gets killed.
Secondly, Hiroki is a kung fu master and has a massive duel with Kiriyama (kung fu fight).
Anyway, theres lots more too add, esapecially how Shogo was like Kiriyama (hes the ginger sociopathe) in his last game and that he killed atleast 16 people.
Now knowing American remakes, this film will either be epic, or a load of crap, and since the ring and grudge was f%$*¬£ed up, Im guessing this one will be too. I really hope its good, and follows the novel more, as in the novel, the trio at the end fight off the main bad guy in a massive car chase, and the film just didn’t have the funding. But when has America (since the depression) ever run out of money for blockbusters?
The whole idea of Battle Royale is not centralized around how or why Class B gets put on that island. The central element of the story is what transpires between the students once they get there. Call it a character study. So, whether it transpires in Japan or America or wherever, the central remains the same. “What would you do?”
By the way, for all those who haven’t read the book. The Program is a form of control placed on the population. It makes every man, woman, and child feel helpless in the hands of the totalitarian government. It has very little to do with western influence on the youth. So, I’m very excited about this American remake. Assuming they don’t fuck up all the characters, it should prove to be one kick ass movie. That’s my one concern for sure. That’s why I’m trying to audition for one of the parts. So they don’t do something disgusting like cast Frankie Muniz as Shuya.
Fan of the original Battle Royale, and one of the few who liked the sequal so much I can’t choose between the first and second as to which I liked more. However, remaking these films is possible for them to be a hit, and personally, I feel they will be a great hit to all those “lazy americans” and people unfortunate enough to not have the common sense to look up You Tube to at least see the first one. That being said, Remaking this film saddens me a lot, and although I’m interested to find out who will be starring in it and what direction the director takes with the film, I’ll be dissapointed to see it “Americanized” and also I feel the need to say, remaking this film, is like remaking George Lucas’ original Star Wars movies.
Well, you know what’s going to happen, don’t you?
I predict a ‘She’s All That’ style film, but with weapons.
And, of course, the token black guy.
“Ima bust a cap in yo’ ass.”
Fucking Hollywood. All they do is:
– Japanese remakes
– Sequels
– Comicbook adaptations
– Sequels of comicbook adaptations
And, I see today, that there is a sequel of ‘The Butterfly Effect’.
Bastards.
I’m really looking to how the American directors will pull this off. I’ve seen the hack-and-slash thrillers that Hollywood has made out there. Whenever someone dies it’s either comical or they try to gross the hell out of you. The difference with Battle Royale is that dying here has meaning. You felt a certain sense of tragedy for the the participating kids. The sentimentalism in Japanese movies are on too different of a level to be reproduced by an American director with American actors. It has nothing to do with acting ability, but every thing to do with culture. Americans are brought up too crass and sarcastic, and unless they’ve watched a decent amount of Asian films, these subtle gestures will simply fall deaf on their ears. The director could totally misinterpret the film while still mainting the plot of the story. He could just set it up like Kill Bill, with a bunch of senseless and moraless slaughtering. How many Hollywood teen-idols do people don’t already want dead in the first place? It’s going to require some unknown but fairly talented actors. If they made a film where we shamlessly enjoy the deaths of these kids, then they’ve totally missed the point of the original Battle Royale.
sorry … before was just a crazy outburst!
Battle royale was the first japanese film that I (eva) saw and it was because of this that i started to watch other asian films.
there are so many different scripts in circulation at the moment that the american directors can not be bothered to make. i guess it is safer for those scared people to just make a film they know is already great. this annoys me 10000000000000000000000000 times more than when artists release old music. it is one thing loving a film or music so much and wanting to work WITH the people who made it .. or make something in tribute of it. but to remake the film, is almost a pisstake, a whiplash to the person who made it in the first place.
i can see this movie now, becoming some kind of film, more about the cliques within high schools, than what the issue in the japanese version was about. and, in the japanese version, they were about 15 years old , making what they were doing, even more 0.o
also, each character had a story behind them. if the director loves it as much as he claims to, then he will probably pick a few people and try and show us that, making some cliché sad view of the projects or i dont know what.
remake a film .. ok … if the film was made in like … 1920 .. and if lots of people want it to be revamped. but dont just remake it, and change its culture. that to me, must be an insult. just .. stop!
WHAT THE FCUK … ARAGHDGH FGLAD GFIL GFIALGF
kiss ma ass are they remaking this film. KISS OUR MO-FOING BLACK ASSESS!!!
I cannot believe that they are remaking this movie. It is not going to be the same being set in America. I love this movie so much and the remakes going to completely ruin it.
Hi I am a fan of the japanese version of the flim and the only way the film could work is to have it so all the children are japanese who can speak english and as for a director get the director of battle royale 2 to do it and film it were the first battle royale was filmed
when i heard about this i thought it was one of them stupid rumours… and now, it’s actually going a head. I don’t see why some american directors have to ruin classic movies. The ring and grudge were fine being Japanese, but the remakes made me resent the films. every time i watched it i saw the damage the director had done to the japanese film. a remake of this film will make it publicsed for the wrong reasons, and like someone has already said, the point of the story was to show everyone the influence americans had on the japanese students…. its ironic that they’ve picked this up and are trying to make themselves look like the innocent ones!
this pisses me off!!
the whole point fo battle royale was that the youth were out of controll due to AMERICAN influence!!! how the hell can you make it in america!?!?! we sentance the youth to death for followign the culture of the country we live in….how despicable…
WTF?!?!
i can bet you this guy has never read the book!! I dotn care is he assures us its gonna be good….if its not in japan, then its not battle royale!! and if i see this guy mess up who the students are!
geez! im pissed off just thinkign about not having the real kiriyama in the movie!! wtf was that signed up for fun crap? and were did the awsome gunfight in the cars go at the end of the story….but people…dotn see this movie…if he does it in america..he ruins it….boycot the film! dotn let these people ruin foreign films too!
the way i see it! any remake will ruin the movie! its a classic, and it is a very important tory to me…the important thing about it is that this is a more radical point of view….its realistic…the youth are really getting “out of controll” and this movie shows us a possablity of how drastic things might get…if you make a remake, you’l loose the truths behind it and make it a sensless killing…and for that..i scorn his name!
Yes that will be awsome but keep the students as they were stead of in jailbut put more parts and scenes that wasnt in the movie. But the director u should use is Quentin Tarantino he would be a very good director for the job just think about it. ok thanks
Did you like what they did with the ring?
I am really mega excited about this movie being a fan of japanese and korean movie and this being one that I have never seen. i’m really interested in seeing what they do with it.
Americanized Battle Royal = Royale with cheese
Michael thats an awesome idea. Yeah go get every annoying tween and young teenager out there and have them get killed off in the first 15 minutes that would be awesome. Why didn’t I think of that? Dakota Fanning getting her torn apart would be great. Also the kid form The Kid and Santa Claus 2 though I actually like him it would still be neat to see him killed. It’s better then having unknowns get killed which will prob happen but Having Dakota die would bring in bigger crowds I think. The only thing is if she’s in it you know she would be the only female survivior at the end which sucks.
I would see the movie, but only if Dakota Fanning is it in… and get killed in a very gory way.
I know that everyone bags the Americans because they don’t want to read subtitles. You all forget however, Hollywood used to film movies in Spanish and English, because South Americans didn’t want to read Spanish subtitles.
This argument was brought up with the last posting about this so-called remake.
UGH…I won’t see this film.
Do we really need to see this americanized. I mean I like the first one and all but come on. Hollywood has definatly lost it’s originality. You know southern kids are going to play this movie out in there classrooms. I can see the breaking news headlines already.
If you want me to care then cast the Saved by the Bell characters. Elizabeth Berkley needs a career relaunch and I want to see Slater and Screech in a deathmatch.
He said it will still contain high school students, STILL? Um, it was Jr. High even in the film, not high school…
Oh, and the obligitory “This is a dumb idea” comment. Dumb, dumb, dumb, really dumb. This is Sony level dumb.
Hmmm, okay… another remake – WHY?
I just can’t find any reason to make a remake of an already great film (which is not even old). Are all americans lazy and don’t want to read subtitles or what’s the case? I sure can’t understand! Gah!
Aleast this movie is now R. All the violence we want, or I hope they give us damn violence.
It’d be great if this remake could out do the original in terms of violence.
It’s ok if this is a flop because we still have the original.
oh sorry for the double here but I forgot one thing John if you look at the end of part 10 is that the actual end of the movie becuase it seemed like it just ended and there was more because if it wasn’t I need to go on a search for part 11 if its there. Thanks.
hey so you know you don’t have to go out and get a copy.
1. go to youtube and put in search BATTLE ROYALE
2. schroll down the pagen and they are titled Movie part 1, Movie part 2, and so on its 10 parts each on ten minutes.
3. I watched the whole think over youtube and of course it would be better on DVD but this isn’t a video your going to find at best buy.
4. Thats it enjoy oh and if I remember part 10 is on the second page and all the other 9 are on the first but just go look it up.
Well, an R-rating is a plus i guess…….. but for me, personally, it won’t have an 8th of the “charm” as the Japanese version.
Ryan….
that made me laugh – Ray Liota as Ichi the Killer!!!!!
sooo true – if the producer loves the original… I can understand remaking films, but when a film is this good.. and still current, why? it can only be about the spondoolies
Thank. God. After hearing you and doug talking about this movie on the audio edition, I went out and picked up a copy. Talk about one seriously amazing film. Hearing that this will be a hard-r movie in the US remake is a good sign. Lets hope they dont screw the pooch on it.
Then i can say bring it on. Looking forward to this now
Sigh
Uaually I don’t mind remakes, but this film holds a specail place in my heart, it introduced me to Asian films and I haven’t looked back. And this is such a classic and has been banned in North America.
Honestly, they should just get the ban lifted and release it here as is, it is one badass movie. There is a sequel too, but no where near as good as the first one.
nord
Dammit…I thought you said Casino Royale. That would have been sweet if that was rated R.
I’m looking forward to this. As much as I loved the original, the ending was shit, so maybe that’s something they can sort out with a remake. I thought the remakes of The Ring and Dark Water were both pretty good, so maybe we’ll get lucky with this one. I hope so – The Grudge was cack.
I still don’t really see the *point and think people should seek out the original, its not just the violence there are also the cultural elements which make the fears of youth becoming westernised unique to Japan.
Still if people are that dead set against having to be literate enough to read subtitles in the US, then I guess that’s life. It could be fun to a point but its still going to be watered down cash in. Not something I am excited about, but the re-make train is not stopping so good luck to them.
*From a viewer’s perspective, I fully understand the business decision behind it.
He loved the original sooo much, well, gosh darn it, he just has to remake it. And I can’t wait for the My Sassy Girl remake either. Oh and Oldboy. I think Nic Cage is playing the lead in both of them (the Girl and Dae-su Oh respectively).
I hope someone remakes Ichi. I think Ray Liota would be perfect.
/Fucking assholes.
//Leave these films alone.
///Baaaaaaaaaaaarf.
“Battle Royale” can easily be found on Amazon and Netflix.