AKIRA, PARTS I & II
SYNOPSIS: In post- apocalyptic Tokyo, the leader of a bike gang tries to save a friend from military experiments and execution.
CHALLENGING ELEMENT: Psychokinetic abilities that let one explode like a human A-bomb may be risky in the age of the suicide bomber.
BIG NAME ATTACHED: Leo DiCaprio (producer)

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DEATH NOTE
SYNOPSIS: When a high-school student finds a death god’s supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes in it, he uses it to snuff out evildoers.
CHALLENGING ELEMENT: Given the rise of school killings, something tells us principals won’t be lining up to endorse this one.
BIG NAME ATTACHED: None yet. Cowards!

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COWBOY BEBOP
SYNOPSIS: In post-apocalyptic (sense a theme?) space, a crew of bounty hunters (a.k.a. “cowboys”) on the ship Bebop track down criminals.
CHALLENGING ELEMENT: Kids will love the source material’s jazz themes!
BIG NAME ATTACHED: Keanu Reeves

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SCOTT PILGRIM
SYNOPSIS: A dickish Canadian slacker has to thrash his dream chick’s evil ex-boyfriends to get it popping with her.
CHALLENGING ELEMENT: Making Pilgrim even more like Michael Cera, so he can continue his “most movies playing himself” streak.
BIG NAME ATTACHED: Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwartzman. We smell an emo hit!
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After rumors surfaced last week, author Brian Lee O’Malley has confirmed that Arrested Development/Superbad/Juno alum Michael Cera will be playing the title character in the upcoming movie adaptation of his comic series Scott Pilgrim. It’s being directed by Edgar Wright, best known for writing and directing Shaun Of The Dead.

If you’re not familiar with Scott Pilgrim, now’s the time to catch up. The multi-book series follows 23-year-old Canadian Pilgrim, who meets his dream woman, a American delivery girl named Ramona. But in order to wife her, he must first defeat her seven “evil” ex boyfriends, who all have special powers. It has plenty of rock ‘n’ roll and fighting, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Check out the video for “Scott Pilgrim,” the 1998 song by all-girl indie rock band Plumtree that inspired the character’s name, after the jump…


Plumtree “Scott Pilgrim”
from Predicts the Future (1998)

[The Beat]