Alexandre Aja Eyes 'Cobra-The Space Pirate'

It looks like we won't have an on-time review of Piranha 3-D, so look for that instead on Friday afternoon. We'll get it to you, though. The film's director, French bloodlust merchant Alexandre Aja, is already turning his attention to his next project. MovieWeb says Aja is gearing up for Cobra-The Space Pirate, his first foray into the world of manga adaptation. It is not the first trip beyond the page for Cobra, though; the Buichi Terasawa creation was turned into an anime series back in the 1980s and there were some anime films, as well. Aja would like to see a live-action franchise grow out of it, although he doesn't have anyone forking over the money just yet. If Piranha doesn't hit...good luck. Anime/manga spin-offs are tough to sell to financiers here in the US, and it's hard to do a lot with a franchise, at least one with a significant global impact, without US studio support. But he's clearly very excited about the prospect:

"I grew up dreaming about Cobra-The Space Pirate. My day was, finish school, run home and switch on the TV and I was hardly the only one. Kids did it in France, Italy, Spain, all over Western Europe. For many people there is Star Wars and nothing else, but for me and my writing partner, there is Star Wars and Cobra. I am so surprised it never crossed the ocean and made the same impact in the U.S., because it is so big everywhere else. There are 60 books, a lot of TV animation and so many adventures, pirates and bad guys that it is perfect to be reinvented into a really cool space opera adventure franchise for a new generation."