Kitamura has announced that he is working on an American adaptation of Versus, slated for release in 2010. Supposedly, the film will take place during the same time period as the original, only it will be set at one of the other gates to hell (this time, located in the United States). The film is tentatively titled "Versus 2."
shareI think he should instead of making a American version, he should make a Japanese sequel to the first one.
shareI agree. Not sure the idea would translate well to american cinema without losing a lot of the flavour of the original. not entirely sure what it was about, but enjoyed the heck out of it:-)
shareAs entertaining as a Japanese sequel would be, I would have to disagree. The original film is a cult classic; it stands on it's own and frankly, anything further would just take away from the original. It would be as if Tarantino tried to make a sequel to Pulp Fiction; it just wouldn't be right.
I think Kitamura is headed in the right direction. Now, it's a given that the "American Versus" would not get the kind of theatrical release a blockbuster would, but I think the response would be very good from showings in independent theatres and DVD sales. I'm positive that the response in Japan would be overwhelming.
This approach also opens a lot of doors in regards to the story. With the way that Versus' story was devised, the only options for Versus 2 would be a direct sequel to the first (which, as I said, would compromise the integrity of the original), or make a period piece (which probably wouldn't do exceptionally well in the modern Japanese market, let alone in America).
By setting the story at one of the other "portals," Kitamura has the opportunity to give more perspective on the scale of the story, something he only touched upon in the original. There is already implication that the events of Versus were not just an isolated occurrence, and the aforementioned approach would open up a whole world of possibilities for the new film.
Needless to say, I am interested in seeing what develops.
if the story takes place at another portal,
it means one thing...
AMERICAN NINJA vs JAPANESE NINJA...lol
zombies vs cowboys
sharedidnt they end the first one in the future so if there was ever a sequel it would start from there? whats the point of having it in america? have in the future, thats much better
shareBetter as that may sound, the ambiguous ending to Versus was intentional, and to continue with that story would compromise the integrity of the original.
shareI guess you haven't heard that Tarantino is talking about a Pulp Fiction sequel haha. Anyway, I think this has potential. Atleast Kitamura is directing, which is rare for 'remakes' of asian films. Most other Asian films that get remade into American films (Oldboy, Bittersweet Life, Battle Royale) basically get raped. Actually those movies in parenthesis are bad examples because they're still in preproduction stages, but lets be serious, they're going to suck compared to their originals.
shareBetter examples: Bangkok Dangerous (directed by the same director, but the remake is supposed to suck), Infernal Affairs (turned into The Departed).
Anyway, in what way would the original Versus be harmed? I mean... it's not like it had some great story which could be harmed by a bad sequel? As long as the fighting and the look is good I'm fine (+some humour please).
I agree, the original should be left alone. Whilst I usually hate remakes, an American version could be interesting as long as it doesn't get the Hollywood PG-13 treatment. I think it would be cool if they made a few references to the original too, maybe even cameo appearances from the original cast like they did in Alive.
Whilst it could potentially be a disaster I'm still looking forward to what Kitamura comes up with.
I happen to be in possession of those documents...
NO VERSUS 2 PLEASE. LEAVE THE ORIGINAL ALONE.
shareExcept for the fact that the guy behind the original is the one pushing the idea, not some Hollywood exec with dollar-signs in his eyes. If it were a Spielberg production or something, then yeah, I'd complain, but Kitamura's gonna direct and he sure as HELL hasn't lost his touch judging by The Midnight Meat Train.
shareSince Kitamura is behind this, i'm all for it. The only problem i have is re-using the 'forest of resurrection' in the us. If there are 666 portals, i would hope they would all be different.
Besides, Zombies in the wild west would be a little too cliche. However, the idea of japanese actors playing american cowboys could be amusing. Better yet, let them get Canadians to play Americans, like how so many Chinese actors are casted as japanese in American movies.
Seriously, if the portals effects are different, then i'm all for it.
Thus far, there has been no real word on how the "666 portals" idea will manifest itself in the new film.
From what I've been able to gather, the film will take place at the exact same time as the original, inferring that pairs of combatants (the equivalent of Sakaki and Sakaguchi's characters from the original film) are clashing at each of the portals all over the world at the same time.
It's also been implied that the destruction which resulted in the post-apocalyptic city shown in the final scene of "Versus," may have been due to these progressively intensifying battles.
ok idk where anyone is getting this crazy idea that there would be cowboys and indians wtf its very clear that the original film is set in modern times i mean honestly the film timeline could be set at the very least in the 80's
that being said i love the idea of the film timeline staying the same but different location i just really hope that they shoot it with the same feel and style the original had and dont over cgi the movie and given the fact that its based in america is sword play still going to hold as much of an influence on the new movie ?