Leonardo DiCaprio plans to produce live-action "Ninja Scroll" film

by Chris MaGee

All I have to say is that Leonardo DiCaprio must be some kind of crazy anime fan because he keeps buying up the remake rights for some pretty high profile Japanese animation. It's been known for a long time that DiCaprio's own Appian Way production company owns the live-action remake rights for Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 animated masterpiece "Akira", but now word comes from both Anime News Network and Variety Asia Online that the Oscar-nominated star has also recently bought the remake rights for Yoshiaki Kawajiri's 1993 action adventure "Ninja Scroll".

DiCaprio, along with producers Jennifer Davisson Killoran and Mike Ireland, have pegged screenwriter Alex Tse to write the screenplay. Tse's previous credits include the upcoming big budget super hero film "The Watchman" directed by Zack Snyder and Michael Mann's next film, "Frankie Machine". Apparently the live-action adventures of ninja Jubei Kibagami will be a co-production with Japanese animation company Mad House.