I’m intrigued as to the origins of these images. Given that Bubblegum Crisis isn’t set to come out for over two years, the most obvious possibility would probably be the studios scouting out technology in anticipation of what the script may eventually demand. If so, then that’s an awful lot of green screen…

Discuss further on the forums.

The original post is as follows:

Star TV is holding auditions for a new reality-TV show called HP Space, which will feature the Hewlett-Packard Co’s products, such as PCs, PDAs and printers.

The auditions, which go on until Sept 27, are for contestants skilled in multimedia, visual art, product design, music, fashion and publishing, among others. They must be over 18 years old.

It is open to those living in the Asia Pacific region. Interested contestants must submit a one-minute long video pitch at www.hpspace.com to showcase their creative flair.

Thirty-six applicants will be put on a shortlist and they will then have to attend live auditions in China, India and Singapore. The group will be pared down to 12 for the final round.

The finalists will be flown to Singapore for the filming of HP Space, where they will work with creative gurus from the world of design, film, advertising, music and art. They will have to use HP products when they compete with each other in the eight-episode series.

HP Space is set to air on Star World and Channel [V] on Astro in November.

The winning contestant will walk away with a grand prize of US$50,000 (RM180,000), as well as a place on the production team for Bubblegum Crisis — a remake of the cult anime classic.

Make of this what you will, but it seems that the production of Bubblegum Crisis is decidedly moving ahead. In any case, this reality show may in time prove to be a treasure trove of information on the movie.

Thanks for the heads-up to this piece of news go to Mikikazu Komatsu, owner of the ULTIMO SPALPEEN blog

Discuss further over on the forums.

The producers are presently negotiating a director and cast for the film which will reportedly be shot in Australia. A spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter that the film will feature two male leads and a femalle quartet, two of whom will be Asian and two Caucasian.

Katsuhito Akiyama’s original Bubblegum Crisis OVA ran from 1987 to 1991, set in a dystopic futuristic Tokyo and followed an all-female sentai team whose role it was to deal with crimes involving the artificial entities known as Boomers. Having since spawned various spin-off series including AD Police Files, Parasite Dolls and Bubblegum Crisis, Tokyo 2040, to this day it is regarded as one of the seminal works of anime cyberpunk and a cult classic.

Word of a live-action adaptation then, is pretty big news. Axxis have confirmed that 70% of the film’s funding has been accumulated already, so hopefully this one will see a smooth production process rather than languishing in development hell like so many other live-action adaptations. Whether or not it will do justice to its source material, it’s still early to say, but keep an eye out for this one.

And of course, you can discuss the news in our Forums.