Two words, "New Manhattan."

And so begins the slow, painful death of what is arguably the most popular anime film of all time.

Apparently the live-action adaptation of the classic manga and film has been in development by Warner Bros. for quite some time. It's only recently that DiCaprio's company Appian Way, along with Mad Chance, have taken on the task of backing its production.

While we should all realize that lazy American remakes of already great Japanese properties is now an inevitable eventuality, this is still going to sting. While the original film may not be aging so well, the manga is still a masterwork. Seeing it run through a filter, moved to "New Manhattan" which is apparently "a city rebuilt by Japanese money" and essentially gutted of its fundamental groundwork is not only a recipe for disaster, but damn near insulting. 

This is bizarro world. What's next? A Japanese film about 9/11 with the towers moved to Osaka?