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Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise, opened in theatres across Japan on July 4. The story, which has become a hit not just in Japan, but worldwide, actually originated in Japan.
The film was based on the sci-fi novel All You Need is Kill by author Hiroshi Sakurazaka. A Japanese novel that hasn’t been adapted in Japan being made into a major Hollywood production is incredibly rare. Having achieved this feat, how did Hiroshi Sakurazaka look at the film Edge of Tomorrow? Sakurazaka shared his thoughts on the film.
■ The film adaptation went beyond imagination.
―It’s been four years since plans to adapt All You Need is Kill into a film were announced, and the film has finally been released in Japan. How did you feel during these four years?
Hiroshi Sakurazaka: Right now feels the least real, honestly. Plans for these kinds of film adaptations often fall through, right? So, I thought this one might go bad as well. In the beginning I thought, well, let’s be happy about it, and I was really happy. But, decisions started to get made quickly, and once I starting thinking this and that were actually going to come into realization, it gradually stopped feeling real. It feels the least real right now.
They took photos of me at a fancy venue in London, and it was like, “Doug’s movie is great,” and, “That Sakurazaka guy is pretty lucky!”
―What were your impressions seeing the finished film?
Sakurazaka: The movie was entertaining. Simply entertaining. How shall I put this? I did feel some embarrassment from things that were exactly the same, but the novel and the film are different, so I was able to watch it objectively. Watching it objectively, it was an entertaining film.
―What was the theme of the original All You Need is Kill? In what way do you feel that it was brought to life in the film?
Sakurazaka: The story is complete when the novel is finished. So, with the film, I think it was about how will they adapt it and what kind of stunning visuals will they use, and it went beyond what I imagined.
Also, I was reminded of the difference in aesthetic between people in Western countries and us. There are a lot of points where that aesthetic difference works well. For example, the sense of speed in the scene when Rita shoots Keiji (William) to reset. The scene made good use of the film medium in showing this. I realized how truly amazing director Doug Liman is.
I have a bit of a twisted nature, and in my novel Slum Online EX (Hayakawa Bunko), I wrote a story about a game. My intention with that novel was to challenge myself to depict things in a way that could only be done through the written word.
I would be happy if it were put on screen, but something that is important is that there are things that only novels can depict as novels.
So, when something is shown that can only be depicted in a film, like with this adaptation, it becomes amazing.
―The scale seemed quite what you’d expect from a major Hollywood film. How did you feel about the scale of the film?
Sakurazaka: It is a large-scale film. The battle scenes look hazy in the distance, but something I found amazing was that I couldn’t see the seams between real scenery and CG. I’m usually good at seeing the seams, but I really couldn’t with this.
■ All you can really say about Tom Cruise is that he’s a star.
―International star Tom Cruise was cast in the main role. How was Tom Cruise’s performance?
Sakurazaka: Tom Cruise was a star. [laughs] To be honest, he’s not really anything but a star. He has nothing bad to say and he lights up any place he goes to, so all you can really say is that he’s a star.
To give a story about when I went to watch filming in the UK for two days, there was some trouble on the first day, and apparently Tom got angry on set for the first time. When I asked about it, it was apparently because the filming was going long and he told them to cut it short so the crew wouldn’t get tired. Seeing him be considerate of the crew also made me think of him as a star.
―How about Emily Blunt in the heroine role of Rita?
Sakurazaka: I’m actually a big fan of Emily Blunt. She’s a good actress.
She was first introduced in Japan appearing in The Devil Wears Prada, but I think Sunshine Cleaning (2009) was her best. She played the irresponsible sister. I saw her performance as the irresponsible sister and became such a fan of her work that it could even be why she was offered the part of Rita.
I actually met her, and my impression is that she’s very easy-going. She’s an amazing actress, and she’s bright and easy-going.
I actually don’t have a concrete image of the characters when I come up with a story. I saw Emily playing Rita and it was like, “Ah, so that’s what it’s like as a film.”
―Could you share anything about director Doug Liman?
Sakurazaka: When I went to the filming location, the thing that stunned me the most was the contrast between the high energy he had when shooting versus him walking alone and stuffing a doughnut in his face after the shoot was done. On set there was an atmosphere where the assistant director was explaining the next scene and that person tried to have Doug eat a doughnut and relax in order to think about the next shoot.
When I’m writing a novel at home, with the help of my wife, I create an environment in our small space where my thoughts won’t be interrupted and I begin to write. I thought it was amazing that they created that kind of environment all throughout the shooting location. It’s director Doug Liman who is freely exercising his talent there.
―What was the most surprising scene in the film for you?
Sakurazaka: When Keiji (William) is reset by Rita. I was surprised by the cinematic “reset” that gets repeated over and over.
■ A Japanese novel’s secret to becoming a major Hollywood film.
―It’s incredibly rare for a Japanese novel to be directly adapted into a Hollywood film, without having been adapted in Japan. How did you feel about this?
Sakurazaka: Including meeting up with a good screenwriter, the film adaptation of All You Need is Kill had good luck. There was a path from the original work to the film adaptation. But I think that as long as you’re not someone who’s particularly lucky, you won’t have the same path. The path to this film coming about was actually a tightrope. I wonder if I would be able to do the same thing again...
I think in the writing stage you can, of course, aim for a film adaptation, but to bring a plan to Warner Bros. Pictures to get it into production itself is a tightrope. First, you need a team that’s connected by a thick pipe. I don’t think there’s a backup system in place yet for bringing a Japanese work to a studio.
―Do you feel that Japanese sci-fi will continue to spread to other countries?
Sakurazaka: It’s quite difficult, but I think Chouhei Kanbayashi might be able to do it. Of course, it’s not that Kanbayashi’s work resembles mine so much as my work resembles Kanbayashi’s. In that sense, I think it would be natural for work that has a similar universe to mine like Kanbayashi’s does to get an offer.
I wonder if I’ll have a chance to meet an actor like Tom Cruise again. That’s completely up to luck. Either way, I think what’s ahead of me has less to do with my work as it does with how my luck goes.
Edge of Tomorrow
http://www.allyouneediskill.jp
In theatres nationwide.
Source: animeanime
