Because of the lack of DiCaprio star power, I sure hope that this movie comes out, because it's widely seen as one of the greatest anime films to come out of Japan -- after Akira, Ghost in the Shell and a few of Hayao Miyazaki's masterworks (Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) -- as well as being my personal favorite. True, it can never be as good as the original anime, but the same could be said of Watchmen (and has been, repeatedly), and I'm still excited to see it in live-action. And in an age of superhero movies, I think ninjas are long overdue for a comeback (sadly, Beverly Hills Ninja 2 may kick it off), and the ninjas in this movie are like the Japanese, Tokugawa-era X-Men with the crazy abilities they have. One is made of living rock, one can generate electricity, one has tattoos that come to life, one has poisonous skin, one has a beehive in his back, one lives inside shadows, and one cannot die. (...Okay, so only half of those are X-Men powers. But one is the Thing from the Fantastic Four, and I think one was in the Elektra movie, unfortunately. But my logic is sound!)

Some people (cough Rob Bricken cough) think that any Ninja Scrollmovie that gets made would necessarily tone down the movie's constant violence and regular nudity to cater to a teenage, anime loving audience, but I say that in a world of 300 and Sin City and Watchmen, anything is possible. Considering that all of the original fans of Ninja Scroll are in their 20s or 30s now, an R-rated, bloody, sexy ninja romp would make a lot of sense. But I'm sure they'll still be looking at the teen-targeted (and long overdue) Street Fighter and Dragon Ball Z movies to see how they do before they actually commit to anything. My hopes are high, but my expectations are in the toilet.