Tiffany stated that;

• If she were to make a cameo in the movie, she would like to play Asuka’s mother
• She toyed with the ideas of Hugo Weaving playing Gendo and Jennifer Garner playing Misato (a good pick IMO)

Still only miniscule threads of news at the moment folks. A lull in the (live) action.

Thanks to Tero Niemi

QUOTE:“As you can imagine, I have received a large number of questions inquiring about various aspects of the announced live-action Evangelion movie. As I answered each question, I would add on to my earlier response, which is how I came up with this “article” on the subject. I hope this will address your concerns.

First off, there are 26 TV episodes and two movies in the Eva library (not to mention the as yet unfinished manga series by co-creator Sadamoto). The first goal is to produce a movie that encapsulates the most important elements of the early part of the series so that the viewer will not have to have seen the aforementioned 15 or so hours of video, and still leave room for one or two (maybe more?) follow up films that can finish off the story.

The movie is being produced jointly by Gainax (of course), ADV and WETA. If you are somehow NOT familiar with the WETA Workshop, this is the incredible studio founded by Peter Jackson in New Zealand that created the Lord of the Rings films — for which they just won an unprecedented number of Academy awards in a clean sweep of all categories in which they were nominated. By watching the fantastic documentaries on the LOTR DVDs, you can get an excellent idea of the kind of attention to detail that this group gives to everything they do.

Also, if you have read the LOTR, I think you will see that the characters in that iconic tome have been very faithfully brought to life. In fact, in a film adaptation of the second most read book in the English language (the Bible is the first), it is pretty well unanimously agreed that WETA got it exactly right. Bearing that in mind, I have every reason to have confidence that the same folks who hand glued every hair on each hobbit foot, will do a spectacular job with our NGE heroes.

Keep in mind that WETA will not be doing this in a vacuum either, as they will be supervised by people at both Gainax and ADV (such as my husband, of course).

As for the “slug” names used in the preliminary script (NOT the final version!!!) which appear on the production drawings, they are only used so as not to refer to them as “Pilot A” and “Captain B” etc. As has been widely discussed, the cast will be international, and mostly of European descent. Meaning, for example, if Daniel Radcliffe (Anime Insider’s suggestion — NOT mine!) were to play the lead male role, it would be pretty stupid to call an ENGLISH boy “Shinji.” Therefore, “Kate Rose” for example is the name they are using for the designs is in place of “Pilot of 02″ or whatever.

As no actors have yet been cast, the pre-production drawings are simply pictures that are drawn of imaginary people in place of having a headless body in a plug suit. The artists are trying to design what a real-life plug suit will look like, and it would seem easier to do (and better to look at!) if the person also has a head. Remember — we don’t know what the suits are even made of! Rubber? Plastic? Leather? The sketches are part of the early costuming process, and I am quite certain that when a director is found, he or she will seek out the best people for the roles. It seems quite doubtful that they would try to find a person to match a drawing.

It may also be of interest to note that there is a genuine desire to cast kids of the right age to play the main roles — NOT 22 year-olds to “play younger.” Therefore, it is difficult to speculate at this early stage on who will play these roles since it is not possible to tell right now when principal filming will begin.

The show is in VERY early stages of pre-production, so nothing is final yet. ADV was just trying to share a little Eva goodness with everyone by showing off some of the thousands of production drawings that have been produced. I think they are fabulous, personally, and I eagerly await each new development in the project.

I believe you can all rest easy knowing that the films will be everything and more that we ever thought they could be.”

Source: Modus Productions Online Forum

As we know, the movie is currently in very early stages of production. The main aim at this point seems to be finding a suitable director to take on the project. Tiffany Grant goes on to state that it will be two to three YEARS before casting takes place — so the actors they have in mind right now would have to be approximately twelve years old, so as to be the correct age during filming.

Thanks to Samantha G

Upon emailing Tiffany Grant about information of casting (I’m a 14 y/o girl who has received several compliments about my uncanny resemblence to Rei), I received information about the schedule laid out thus far. It is probably all already known, but could serve as an update. It was received April 11, 2004:

Sincerely,
Samantha G

ARTICLE SNIPPET:
As for the “slug” names used in the preliminary script (NOT the final version!!!) which appear on the production drawings, they are only used so as not to refer to them as “Pilot A” and “Captain B” etc. As has been widely discussed, the cast will be international, and mostly of European descent. Meaning, for example, if Daniel Radcliffe (Anime Insider’s suggestion — NOT mine!) were to play the lead male role, it would be pretty stupid to call an ENGLISH boy “Shinji.”

The show is in VERY early stages of pre-production, so nothing is final yet. ADV was just trying to share a little Eva goodness with everyone by showing off some of the thousands of production drawings that have been produced. I think they are fabulous, personally, and I eagerly await each new development in the project.

FULL ARTICLE

But if you ask me, leaving it on “I believe you can all rest easy knowing that the films will be everything and more that we ever thought they could be.” Isn’t very reassuring. But I suppose they had to try and coax us some how:

I noticed there have been a number of posts regarding the movie, and
this is a little essay I have written for your perusal. I hope it
clears some things up. — TG

I believe you can all rest easy knowing that the films will be
everything and more that we ever thought they could be.

Here is the topic: Original Topic
Here is the site (it’s at the bottom): Tiffany Grant’s Website

When asked about her views, thoughts and plans for the movie Tiffany says she thinks it will be “INCREDIBLE” and also mentions that her husband Matt Greenfield will be on the production team. Apparently she knows a lot about the movie however isn’t allowed to tell anyone anything. According to Tiffany, a large portion of the folks at WETA are fans of Evangelion as, “the entire show has aired in Australia at least twice on regular television”. This is good news. She also goes on to mention that if the movie is successful we can expect one or two more sequels to cover the whole 26 episode period.
Now for the not so good news. When asked about casting, she stated she had a few ideas about who could play Asuka, but also speculated that the shooting wont begin for another couple of years. Meaning we wont get to see the movie until at least 2006. But we cannot rush these things.

Interview:
THE PULSE: What do you think of the plans for a live action NGE movie? What have you heard about it?

GRANT: I think it’s going to be INCREDIBLE! Since my husband, Matt Greenfield, is one of the producers, I know WAY more about it than I am allowed to tell >=)

The folks who produced the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies down in New Zealand, WETA, didn’t want to be out of a job when LOTR finally wraps all its post production, so they were looking for work. Since many of them were Eva fans (realize that the entire show has aired in Australia at least twice on regular television), they thought why not do a live action Eva film?

Rest assured, since ADV and Gainax are both on board for this project, it will be handled with kid gloves. And, if it’s successful, you can look for one or two more sequels since it won’t be possible to tell the whole 26 episode story in one two-hour movie. If you want to get an idea of the types of techniques that will be involved, just watch the behind-the-scenes documentaries on the LOTR DVDs. Amazing stuff!
THE PULSE: These characters are obviously very near and dear to your heart. Whom would you like to see cast in the film?

GRANT: Funny as it may sound, I haven’t thought about too many of the parts. I do have an idea about a possible Asuka, but I don’t think I am at liberty to say. However, since the film won’t begin shooting for about two years, keep your eyes out for up-and-coming thirteen-year-olds who will be fifteen when filming begins.

BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO
Full interview available here: Full Interview
More information on Tiffany here: Tiffany’s Website