The live-action Akira movie at Warner Bros. has been in development for a number of years now and has suffered from a series of false starts in the past. However, a new update from producer Andrew Lazar provides hope that encouraging news could be on the horizon.
The live-action Akira film's journey stretches all the way back to 2011 when Jaume Collet-Serra was slated to direct an adaptation that would star Ken Watanabe, Garret Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Ezra Miller, and Helena Bonham Carter. Just before filming was slated to begin in Vancouver, WB halted the project over budgetary concerns.
Since then, Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin and Get Out director Jordan Peele were both attached to the project before Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) signed on to tackle the project in 2017.
Waititi was actually all set to film the live-action Akira movie in 2019 (which was to be released on May 21, 2021) before deciding to to make a fourth Thor film for Marvel Studios.
Now, in a new interview with MoovyTV, producer Andrew Lazar (American Sniper, G20) stated that there will soon be news released, regarding the project.
Said Lazar, "There's no updated [right now] but I expect we’ll have one in the next couple of months," teased Andrew Lazar.
Previously, Waititi teased that his live-action film would draw more heavily from the original manga, as opposed to the anime film.
"Obviously, I think people who loved the film, I want to make sure that they’ve also read the books because there’s a lot more in the books than there are in the film,” Waititi said of Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary manga.
“And some people are very protective over the film, which is not quite the same as the books. So we’re drawing a lot from the books.”
The anime film Akira (1988) has maintained enduring popularity for a multitude of compelling reasons including its unprecedented level of detail in the meticulously crafted backgrounds of Neo-Tokyo, fluid character movements, and explosive action sequences.
The film's use of a wide range of hues, especially in the nighttime cityscapes and energy effects, created a visually striking and memorable experience.
Set in a gritty, futuristic Neo-Tokyo rife with social unrest, political corruption, and technological anxieties, Akira tapped into the cyberpunk zeitgeist of the late 20th century.
The complex and troubled relationship between the two main characters, which served as the core of the film: Kaneda and Tetsuo, resonated with audiences- particulary, particularly Tetsuo's maddening descent into uncontrolled power and Kaneda's desperate attempts to save him.
Akira is widely credited with starting the popularization of Japanese anime culture in the West, demonstrating that animation could be a medium for mature and complex storytelling.