It isn't often that fans ask for Hollywood to make a live-action anime adaptation. If anything, those fans will plead with big studios to leave the medium alone, but Ready Player One has audiences singing a different tune right now. After all, the big blockbuster did bring a slew of iconic anime properties to theaters, and its take on Gundam has got fans going wild.
So, if Hollywood were ever going to test out a live-action Gundam movie, now is the time to get cracking.
Tonight, Ready Player One began its public previews, and screenings for the movie let out not long ago. Fans were quick to hit Twitter to share their thoughts on the movie, and even the biggest anime newbies admit they'd be willing to shell out for a live-action Gundam film.
As you can see below, Twitter is being flooded with reactions to Ready Player One, and the film's special Gundam sequence has got everyone raving. Even fans who hated the movie admit they were in awe of its live-action Gundam fight, and who can blame them? After all, it isn't everyday you get to see the main mecha from Mobile Suit Gundam skydive and fight Mechagodzilla with a Laser Beam.
The mecha's explosive cameo was an exciting one to see. Warner Bros. did not skimp on the VFX needed to bring the RX-78-2 suit to life, and its fluid animation showed audiences why Gundam is the franchise to beat when it comes to mecha series. Sadly, the heralded cameo only last 30-seconds because of licensing concerns, but the time the suit spent on-screen was enough to convince millions that a live-action Gundam movie should happen.
Of course, it isn't like Hollywood has blatantly ignored Gundam for all these years. Back in the 1980s, Lion's Gate tried to bring the Japanese franchise to the big screen when it began developing a film with the director of Top Gun. The project got a script and storyboard before Lion's Gate received cease-and-desist letters notices from Sunrise Studio and Bandai. So, here's to hoping those original license holders will ease up and give Warner Bros. a whack at the franchise after seeing the hype surrounding Ready Player One.
Would you rally behind a Hollywood-produced adaptation of Gundam? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!