Taika Waititi Says His 'Akira' Film Wouldn't Adapt The Anime

Over the years, there has been plenty of talk about bringing Akira to Hollywood. Katsuhiro Otomo's series is one of Japan's most famous, but Hollywood has yet to make concrete plans to adapt it. Recently, fans learned the industry may be ready to give Akira a real shot as reports surfaced connecting Taika Waititi to the project. But, if the director does sign on to the adaptation, then fans should not expect the movie to adapt Akira's anime.

Recently, io9 sat down with Waititi to talk about his new gig with Thor: Ragnarok. The Marvel film debuts in the U.S. tonight, but the director took a moment to look ahead and comment on what his potential adaptation of Akira would look like. After admitting he was a fan of Otomo's work, Waititi said he was more interested in seeing the creator's manga adapted since its anime has become so iconic.

"I read the [comic] books and I was always more curious as to what a broader adaptation of the books might look like instead of a remake of the film, which doesn't need to be remade," Waititi said.

"I do feel there could be a cool live action adaptation of the books."

In the U.S., Akira is most often thought of in terms of its anime. The series got a feature-length film back in 1988 with Otomo at the helm. The movie sacrificed much of the manga's plots, but it stayed true to its characters and settings. Fans of the story have come to view Akira's anime and manga as if they were two separate things. The manga is over 2,000 pages, so a good adaptation of the story could easily turn into a franchise if Hollywood manages to make something good out of it. So, if Waititi is willing to stick with the franchise for a bit, fans would be eager to see what the director's vision for Akira looks like.