A few years ago, director Alexandre Aja was attached to a Western, live-action adaptation fo Space Adventure Cobra. However, according to Aja, the project has been shelved for the time being.
Appearing on the "Post Mortem with Mick Garris" podcast, Aja cited a switch in leadership at Lionsgate, the project's estimated $130 M USD production budget and the similarities with Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy as deciding factors in the project's development coming to a halt.
The director added that Cobra would have been a dream project as he grew up watching anime, however, he's presently pursuing other opportunities. Pretty much all the project has to show for itself is the teaser poster that was released back in 2011.
ABOUT SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA
"Cobra (also known as Space Adventure Cobra and Space Cobra)" began as a 1978 manga from Buichi Terasawa. The story follows the futuristic adventures space wayfarer Cobra who surgically alters his face and erases his memory in order to lead a normal life. However, his old enemies and allies soon catch up to him and he'll need his ship, Tortuga, his partner Lady Armaroid, and his trusty firearm, the Psycho-Gun, to say alive.
Alexandre Aja secured the film rights from Terasawa in 2010 and began working on a script with Gregory Levasseur (The Hills Have Eyes, Maniac) with the original goal of a Summer 2013 release date. The project is still in development.