The live-action remake of Akira might have found a new director.
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Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. is currently negotiating with Thor: Ragnarok‘s Taika Waititi to direct the picture. The film will take place in a dystopian ‘New Manhattan’ in 2019, and follow a leader of a biker gang who saves his friend from a medical experiment.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have reportedly made the live-action adaptation of Akira a priority, with the goal of adapting the six volumes of manga across two films. The film will reportedly be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, Andrew Lazar, and Jennifer Davisson.
Akira originated as a manga series, which was written by Katsuhiro Otomo. Some will best recognize the franchise from the 1988 animated film, which has grown to be a cult classic.
The possibility of a live-action Akira has been floated around for quite some time, but has yet to become a reality. The project has been stuck in various stages of “development hell” for years, and has been offered to A-list directors such as Christopher Nolan, George Miller, and Jordan Peele at one point or another. Peele actually turned down the opportunity earlier this year, despite it being one of his favorite franchises.
Fans have gotten some taste of what a live-action Akira could look like, in the form of test footage and concept art. And given the larger-than-life, colorful scale that Waititi has brought to Ragnarok, it’s pretty easy to picture him being the one to bring the franchise to life.
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