Patlabor: The Next Generation

[metroid]

Patlabor, also known as Mobile Police Patlabor, is a 1988 anime and manga that centered around the special robotics force of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as they solved various cases in a then-near-future of 1998. The robots are called Labors in the franchise, hence the name Patrol+Labor=Patlabor.

The live action film is currently slated for a 2015 release and has secured the involvement of the anime's original director, Mamoru Oshii (director of Ghost in the Shell).

This will probably be Japan's first big budget mecha movie. It should be interesting.

Official site
http://patlabor-nextgeneration.com/

[Luminous]

Always enjoyed Patlabor. That mech suit looks great!

[metroid]

It turns out that The Next Generation -Patlabor- will be a seven-part live action series which will eventually lead to a full feature film.

The series' story will be set in Tokyo, in the year 2013, and it represents the "third generation" of Patlabor. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police has disbanded its Section 2 Division 1 of police robots, and Section 2 Division 2 barely survived the budget cuts due to the long recession.

The project will begin with a seven-part series that distributor Shochiku will run in special theatrical engagements in Japan, starting next April. The seven parts are composed of an episode 0 (about 10 minutes long) and 12 full episodes (about 48 minutes long) helmed by the project's chief director Mamoru Oshii and other directors. Then, Oshii is directing and writing a feature-length film (about 100 minutes long) that will open in 2015. The title of the feature will be announced later.

Oshii commented that the seven-part series will have a "slapstick" ambience, while the feature film will be serious. Oshii and Kei Yamamura are writing the scripts for the series, and Kenji Kawai is returning to the franchise to compose the music for both the series and the feature film.

[Luminous]

Not sure "slapstick" has any place in Patlabor....

[DynamicMenace]

killah. love this. suit does look great. hopefully this will be released in the states too. the series on DVD and then the full length film.

man i hope they do a live action Ghost in the shell film. now that would be SAF!!!

[moon_knight1971]

Will check this out when its released!

[metroid]

Press conference video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3djo...layer_embedded

Oshii, who will serve as the chief director, emphasized that this project is not a remake of the anime series. He commented, "I realized that I had to make something completely different while inheriting the world view of the anime. It is impossible to copy [the anime], so it would have a higher chance to be successful if we make the live-action version with a different theme."

At the press conference, the life-sized (8 meters tall) "Labor" robots that cost several tens of millions of yen for two, were introduced. Director Oshii said, "I always wanted to see how the actual Labor would look. Since it costs too much money, I had no chance to make it in the past." He also revealed that the key to making the live-action adaptation was "how we could get closer to the anime series, and how to face the fans who have stuck with the series for 25 years."

"The solution to it was to create the third generation. We needed a new world view. Since the activities of the first generation Patlabors were depicted completely in the anime, we made the new 'Section 2.' I thought if I missed this opportunity, I would never be able to make a live-action version," said Oshii.

[metroid]

Live-Action Patlabor's Premiere Dates, Visuals Unveiled
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...ed#gallery_top

[metroid]

Teaser trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=0jtJbK_GJWA

[metroid]

Website Eiga.com unveiled two new screenshots from Mamoru Oshii's live-action The Next Generation -Patlabor- series and film project . The screenshots revealed that Suidobashi Heavy Industry's real-life rideable robot Kuratas will serve as a Labor robot that will appear alongside Patlabor's iconic (but fictional) Ingram.

After seeing that the Kuratas was on sale for about 100 million yen (about US$1 million), the production staff decided that it looked almost exactly like a Labor and asked to have one in the film. According to the project's chief director Mamoru Oshii, now that they have the robot, there is no reason to use CG or props for it. However, Eiga.com reports that the project as a whole will use the latest CG and VFX techniques.

Kuratas in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29MD2...layer_embedded