Whispers of an Akira live-action movie aren’t anything new. The classic Manga and animated film were instant hits. Now, word comes that Warner Brothers greenlit the film, set a date, and secured an amazing director.
Set during the aftermath of a third World War, the story takes place in Neo Tokyo (in the Manga) and New Manhattan (in the animated film).
A biker gang leader has to save his friend from medical experiments that unleash hidden destructive powers.
The anime film came in 1988 and was an incredible creation of the original manga’s author, Katsuhiro Otomo. The anime brought anime films to popularity in the US.
The Playlist reports that Warner Bros. set a release date for the film for May 21, 2021. This will be a tough weekend for the film, as it is the same weekend John Wick 4 hits theaters.
Warner Bros. also confirmed that director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do in the Shadows) signed on with the film.
In an interview with Dazed, Waititi remarks on his vision for Akira:
“I haven’t really started to get my head around it yet. What I wanted to do was an adaptation of the books, ‘cos a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t touch that film!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book.’
A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich. But (the anime) Akira is one of my
films; my mum took me to see it when I was 13 and it changed my life.” favourite
Waititi at the helm of this movie will be interesting. Check back often as details about the film hit.
