Hiroya Oku: “Hollywood has the rights to GANTZ, we can’t produce anything”

The platform Crispy roll published the second part of the interview with the author of GANTZ and GIANT, Hiroya oku. In fact, in this sequel, the author comments on the copyright status of the first work and the possibilities to continue working on it in animation.

When I was told it had been seventeen years since the animated adaptation premiered GANTZ and asked if he would be interested in a restart, Oku commented: “Wow, was that so long ago? But I wonder if an anime reboot is possible for GANTZ … Even for his manga, the manga is pretty complete with naked bodies and bloody scenes. When GANTZ had its first anime adaptation, it was still subject to quite a bit of censorship. The TV producer said something to me like, “We can’t do it the way you want it to.” The anime’s director often seemed to have problems. Things are much stricter these days so I find the idea of ​​rebooting difficult».

He was also informed about the current status of the live-action film produced in Hollywood and the current handling of copyrights:Yes, I can’t get into all of the details on the matter, but a Hollywood company currently has the rights to adapt GANTZ and if we don’t get the rights back we can’t do an anime or live-action adaptation of the manga. . That’s the kind of Hollywood contract; They own all adaptations, including anime and live action, with the exception of the manga. There is another spin-off called GANTZ: E that is currently being published in Young Jump (illustrated by Jin Kagetsu) that the producers were allowed to make adjustments to. [ya que es un manga], although there won’t be an anime adaptation of this spin-off. The truth is, it’s going to be an ordeal».

Oku also commented on how long it will take to regain the rights to produce adaptations of the original manga: “About four more years, I think. We just signed a contract last year (note: in 2020). I have not been informed about how the Hollywood adaptation is going or if it is actually going on. COVID-19 has likely paused a number of new projects there, and GANTZ is likely one of them. If so, I want to regain the rights».

GANTZ synopsis

Did you think your life was bad? Sometimes death is worse. There is no salvation, no peace, and no God waiting to take you into his care. But wait a god? Maybe you mean that the big black ball is in the room with you. Now you are in a game where you fight green aliens and robot monsters for a chance of survival. When Kei Kurono is killed, he finds himself in such a game – a test of his skills, his morals and his will to survive. Your life is not yours; his death is repeatedly spat on and trampled underfoot. What if you don’t listen God knows. A word of caution: Gantz isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s not as simple as it sounds either. Blood, rape, and violence are on the surface, as are the portraits of greed, violence, and all the ugliness that can be seen in society today.

Source: Crispy roll