Hollywood Popular Artists

Jul 27th 2012, 17:00

"Battle Royale" might finally get its American remake, though not in the form we have expected.

According to the Los Angeles Times, teen-centric television station The CW is looking to turn the story from Koushun Takami's novel-turned-cult Japanese movie into an hour-long drama TV series. "Battle Royale" tells the story of a group of ninth grade Japanese students who are kidnapped and forced to fight to the death on a remote island under the Battle Royale Act.

If that sounds like a familiar concept, it's because it is. Though Takami's novel came out in 1999 and the film came out a year later, this "making children fight to the death" story became popularized in the States thanks to Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games." This sort of dystopian future has seen a surge in popularity ever since, and it's likely that The CW wants to give their own spin on "Battle Royale" in the wake of that.

Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. A CW spokesman told the LA Times that there have been some discussions about the project, but a Hollywood attorney who represents the American rights to the story said "there is no deal in place." Japanese law dictates that Takami would have to approve of any remake of his story as well, and those are some major hurdles to overcome before any "Battle Royale" TV series falls into place.

Still, it's easy to see where The CW is coming from and, after some initial hesitations about the idea, we agree that this could make for an interesting show... as long as The CW's series keeps the major themes presented in Takami's story in place. The CW has another post-apocalyptic, fight-to-the-death styled show in production called "The Selection," but the network sent it back to development after opting not to pick up the pilot. Maybe they decided that a more recognizable name would help them leverage their way into the dystopian apocalyptic genre. It will be interesting to see if anything ever comes of this germ of an idea, but it is an intriguing concept for now.

Would you want to see a "Battle Royale" TV series by The CW? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

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