Hey Marco, I know this may not really count as a pop culture-related question, but may I ask what is daily life like in this alternate timeline? Like what is the World like? How are things overall going in general as of the present day? How are things like culture, politics, the economy, the weather and climate, technology, and diplomatic relations in this timeline?
Trying to Please Everyone: Or Converting multiple Pop Culture Utopias into a Timeline.
- Thread starter Marco Incognito
- Start date
Okay then, well to switch to a more pop culture-related question, what are the plans for The Last of Us ITTL?
I think Marco gave some previous details about US Presidents and relations with a less hostile Russia earlier in the thread.
It’s a pop culture question, not a non-pop culture question.
That would also be me, since I did make a Wikibox for the US Presidents ITTL a long while back. I am really interested in Marco’s world outside of popular culture, but obviously considering that he wants to focus on pop culture specifically, I do respect that.
I know I know and I agree with you but Marco doesn't like numerous questions and especially not about what is X like in this TL or when will X happen, at least not in my and kirbopher's previous experiences
what are the plans for The Last of Us ITTL?
This is a similar question to what is X like. I'm just giving you a friendly heads up. Marco won't like it.
Again, it’s a pop culture-related l question, yes it is a “what is X like” as you put it, but I only asked it so things wouldn’t be awkward.
To clarify, I try to avoid discussing events I have little knowledge about, and have at time changed my mind. For example I felt saying the Tiananmen Square massacre didn't happen ITTL felt like it was too close to actual government efforts to deny its existence. So I escalated it instead and feel like it works better.
I'm fine with asking questions. it's just people tend to ask about a huge amount of people and things at once.
Now about Last of Us. Joel is a former Detective. Ellie actually does resemble and is voiced by Elliot Paige. You play as Elly a bit more than OTL due to Joel having a heart condition. Last of Us Part II may still happen but with a different plot, likely without Abby. A Film would come out with Mark Wahlberg and Maisie Williams. In addition to this Joel and Ellie appear in a crossover game. It's TTL's equivalent to Playstation All Stars Battle Royale but instead has a third person view and is multiplayer. Players can fight each other but there are also maps based on games with tons of enemies and one big boss(A large infected, a God of War Troll, a Metal Gear Etc).Naturally there is a Last of Us based map.
I'm fine with asking questions. it's just people tend to ask about a huge amount of people and things at once.
Now about Last of Us. Joel is a former Detective. Ellie actually does resemble and is voiced by Elliot Paige. You play as Elly a bit more than OTL due to Joel having a heart condition. Last of Us Part II may still happen but with a different plot, likely without Abby. A Film would come out with Mark Wahlberg and Maisie Williams. In addition to this Joel and Ellie appear in a crossover game. It's TTL's equivalent to Playstation All Stars Battle Royale but instead has a third person view and is multiplayer. Players can fight each other but there are also maps based on games with tons of enemies and one big boss(A large infected, a God of War Troll, a Metal Gear Etc).Naturally there is a Last of Us based map.
I have a list I cobbled together based off TV Tropes pages for what could have been? Fanon discontinuity and Fandom preferred cut content. I cobbled it together sometime back in chronological order. Separated by media. I then look up 1994 in anime on Wikipedia and go through each. Digging up as much behind the scenes information I can with a focus on directions the work could have gone but didn’t OTL.
There’s also a direct intent to look at how to realistically save a cancelled project and save it ITTL. When looking at the list of Anime, I see things and sometimes decide to swap them. For example and this is a spoiler for next time. An Indiana Jones parody with animals was made in 1994. I am going to substitute it with an Indiana Jones Anime(sort of. more collaborative) and that in turn replaces the Young Indiana Jones adventures. It will have a an episode based around crystal skull, which Lucas was unable to Do OTL, using that idea for the infamous 4th film. So ITTL that film is already butterflied.
There’s also ideas I tease earlier in that must come about at some point like Miyazaki’s Treasure Planet, but I try to be realistic as Miyazaki usually released a film every two years which then became four and then scarcer and scarcer. Some directors release a film every year but auteur type take their time so it becomes a case of picking and choosing which films are made.
It used to be all one but Wikipedia itself changed so now I separate it and at the end include things that were butterflied away because of my actions. I decided on a whim a series which saved Tatsunoko from bankruptcy in real life didn’t here and so many things shows by them no longer exist.
Once all that’s written down and footnotes for the different things made. I double check another list on TV Tropes as it sometimes lists things I missed or extra details Wikipedia doesn’t. And then post it once I find 10 images to go with the post. Sometimes the images I find inspire it. I discovered a cancelled Megaman series I chose to revive while looking for information on the Megaman PSAs from 1994. Single posts are usually dependent on the breath of the thing being discussed as well as how many images I have for it. Usually tons of unused concept art.
Unlikely. It wouldn't exist due to more faithful translations of the original work. They didn't edit it like they did to Make Battle of the Planets. Though I am planning on using the title for something. Possibly a film with the characters.
28 1/2 and the start of the Japan Heroes Universe(1994)
28 1/2(1994)
Part of a new initiative betweens several studios to bring back iconic characters from the 1960’s(as the 30 year cycle is in effect and 60’s nostalgia is big). Going through several properties Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae was dropped as it featured a character based on beloved blind samurai and star of his own film series Zatoichi, the actor of whom, Shintaro Katsu, having retired in 1989. There were talks of reviving “The Golden Bat” Japan’s first Superhero, predating Superman but rights issues were complex as he'd first appeared in a popular street theater format making, though he was saved for a possible later film. Others considered were Princess Knight(passed over The Mighty Atom), Attack No 1(Clashed tonally being a sports franchise), and Sally the Witch(Set to appear in the Giant Robo Animated Films). The choice was narrowed down to Dororo, Mach Go Go go(already in production once its rebooted series did well), The Mighty Atom, and Tetsujin 28-Go[1]
While The Mighty Atom was set to be the first live action film made, being by far the most popular character and it would be a tribute to the late Osamu Tezuka, Tetsujin 28-Go was fought for by the owners TMS Entertainment. This was allegedly because Tetsujin 28-Go had planned their animated series for 1980 but a Mighty Atom revival had been released earlier, leading many to believe that Tetsujin 28-Go had intentionally chose to piggyback on the success of the Mighty Atom when it was coincidence. They wanted to be first and Tezuka Productions agreed. Many would come to believe that was for the best. Stanley Kubrick had pitched to Steven Spielberg an adaptation of the short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” which focuses on an Android child bought by parents that is discarded when their true child is born. Kubrick felt he wasn’t the right person to direct it and passed it off to Spielberg. Spielberg had heard of the plan to adapt The Mighty Atom and the project evolved into a combination of the short story and the Anime and Manga. Spielberg and Kubrick met with the former thinking Kubrick would shoot it down. His only response was “I guess we got the Kiddie Market”[2]
Mamoru Oshii was chosen as the Project head, a controversial decision to some as ten years previously he had greatly damaged the Lupin III franchise with Lupin III: Tower of Babel. He himself was busy with several projects but agreed to supervise in exchange for funding his future commitments, including an adaptation of Rainmaker(Which he was rewriting to focus on the Android Police Girl Gally). It was Oshii’s idea to name the film 28 ½[3].
Fox-Loew Films[4] granted 28 ½ a budget of around $35 million to $50 million, intending to turn it into a blockbuster franchise, though Oshii wound up spending 28 1/2 Million(which some believe is coincidence but was likely intentional on Oshii's part. Critics had a field day making jokes about the Budget being on screen). Oshii turned down plans to reduce the size of the robot from 50 ft to 12 ft by Fox writers Steve Meerson and Peter Krikes. As well as the use of CGI. Oshii insisted on practical effects, which included building actual replicas. Series creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama was given an executive producer credit[5].
The Film moved the events to Modern Day, but still kept the same premise. A robot named Black Ox attacks Japan and the young boy Shotaro Kaneda is guided to his father’s Shoichiro’s robot by his former assistant and must command it into battle against the Nazi created robot Black Ox.
Development on Future Films
The Film did well at the box office. At least enough to warrant further entries in the project.
Mach Go Go Go’s live action adaptation, directed by Julian Temple with Johnny Depp starring, was set for release the following year. In order to boost their catalogue, Tezuka Productions bought up most of the rights to Tatsunoko’s properties. Some like Genie Family were out of bounds. Hannah Barbara got that one. They were dancing around on I Dream of Jeanie's Animated show as long lost relatives coming over to visit. The characters they did obtain appeared on merchandise with Tezuka characters to promote the partnership[5].
Production on Dororo entered development hell due to its bizarreness and difficulty in finding a director. However, a solution presented itself. Famed director Akira Kurosawa had been working on a Godzilla film. Simply titled Gojira for a planned 1997 or 1998 release date. It was agreed through deals with Toho that this would replace Dororo as the fourth film. This had a knock on effect. There were now 4 confirmed directors on 4 confirmed films, Mamoru Oshii, Akira Kurosawa, Steven Spielberg and Julian Temple. Warner Bros felt Temple lacked the recognition of the big names of the others and so he was replaced by Ron Howard as director for Mach Go Go Go, who insisted he could still make the 1995 deadline[7]
Earlier on at Conventions in Japan, a four square pattern with the silhouettes of Mighty Atom, Gigantor, Go Mifune and Dororo. The Dororo silhouette was swapped out with Godzilla’s. Merchandise with the old design became collector’s items. Because Dororo’s inclusion had not been publicly revealed and his silhouette was not immediately recognizable at last compared to Gigantor and Atom(Go Mifune was of course just a man with a helmet on but he was popular enough that his inclusion was assumed. Some Jokes were made about the mysterious silhouette from before being Godzilla wearing a wig.
Japan Heroes Universe planned releases
1994: 28 ½ by Mamoru Oshii
1995: Mach Go Go Go by Ron Howard
1996:The Mighty Atom by Steven Spielberg
1997: Gojira by Akira Kurosawa
Notes
[1] This came about by replacing an adaptation of the 1973 live action series Super Robot Red Baron, which received an anime adaptation in 1994. I chose to swap it out with the more well known Gigantor. OTL Mushi Productions went out of business and Osamu Tezuka lost the rights to Astro Boy briefly just as he wanted to make n animated series bringing the character in color. This lead him to make Jetter Mars in 1977 until he got the rights back, leading to an actual Astro Boy series in 1980 released alongside a Gigantic series. ITTL this led to many assuming the Gigantor show in 1980 was deliberately banking on Astro Boy's success.
This plan to adapt all these characters is akin to OTL’s Shin Japan Heroes Universe, which began in 2016 and consists of Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, Evangelion 3.0(retroactively as the outlier. Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno is helming the project and included it. It stands out as it lacks Shin in the title and is animated. It’s also more recent than the others) and Shin Kamen Rider. There’s no real crossover between the franchises except for a 4D movie between Shin Godzilla and Evangelion at Universal Studios Japan and some merchandise such as toys and Pachinko machines from that.
[2] The Film OTL became A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Ironically OTL an Astro Boy film was in production in 1997 but cancelled because A.I. came out and was too similar. The end result was the Astro Boy CGI FIlm in 2009.
Kubrick's comments are based on his statement when the script was rewritten and presented to him, which were "Well, we lost the Kiddie Market." since the script was now much darker. Kubrick seemed to admire Spielberg for being a crowdpleaser while Spielberg admired Kubrick's auteur approach. As such I don't think Kubrick would be too mad Spielberg is doing what he admires him for an increasing the story's appeal by connecting it to a beloved character.
[3] OTL Oshii was at one point around 2010 attached to a film adaptation of Tetsujin but turned it into a stage play instead. Though with a practical Robot prop. I don't speak Japanese but if you want here's a video on it:
Oshii has in an unplanned way become TTL's equivalent to Hideakki Anna in many ways. His Lupin III: Tower of Babel apocalyptic ending was controversial, just like Hideako Anno's Evangelion, and he is heading a Heroes Universe project kickstarted by his own film like Anno did with Shin Godzilla.
[4] Story Time. OTL William Fox founded Fox Films. When his rival Marcus Loew(of Loew's Theatres) died in 1927, Fox made a move to buy is holdings, including 200 theaters, which the family agreed to. Then the Great Depression hit in 1929 and Fox declined and the merger never happened. What was left was bought out by 20th Century Studio and thus 20th Century Fox was born in 1915. 20th Century Fox even claimed for decades that it was founded in 1915 but later changed it to 1935 when the merger happened. ITTL they successfully merged and 20th Century Studios is a separate entity. Fox takes the place of...well..Fox in the movie industry.
[5] There was a planned Gigantor movie around 1994 with the people involved except for Mamoru Oshii. Yes they did plan on making the robot smaller. Cancelled for unknown reasons.
[6] Merchandise exists of several Tezuka and Tatsunoko characters together from a joint 50th anniversary they celebrated in 2013.
[7] ITTL Apollo 13's disaster never happened. So Ron Howard isn't going to be making a movie based on it. The Film would have some stylistic similarities to his 2013 film Rush, taking inspiration from Formula 1 racing like the recent show ITTL.
Cool! Will Sailor Suit and Machine Gun and all the Sion Sono movies(Suicide Circle, Strange Circus, Love Exposure, Why Don't You Play In Hell?, etc.) still exist ITTL?