Although most people have probably never heard of him, Michael Davis has quietly been a favorite director of mine. Back in the late 90s he directed this little indie comedy titled Eight Days A Week, about a suburban kid who was obsessed with a young Keri Russell(who can blame him??) and moved into her front yard to basically stalk her. A couple of middling comedies followed before hitting paydirt in 2007 with the goofy Clive Owen action flick, Shoot 'em Up, which remains a brilliant piece of live-action Looney Tunes fun if you ask me.
Now after being away for five years, Davis is back and adapting one of my favorite manga to boot. Variety reports he's signed to produce and direct Mardock Scramble, a live-action sci-fi film based on the novels by Tow Ubukata, which were then translated into popular manga and anime series. The story takes place in the futuristic Mardock City, and follows a young prostitute name Rune Ballot. After she is taken in by an evil gambler, he then kills her in a massive explosion. However she is saved by Dr. Easter, who rebuilds her into a crime fighting cyborg, accompanied by an artificial intelligence in the form of a mouse.
There have already been three Mardock Scramble anime films, but it's still a fresh property here in the States. Hopefully this fares better than Warner Brothers' failed Akira remake, or James Cameron's shelved Battle Angel Alita.
