Taika Waititi isnt sure if he’ll still direct Akira

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Hollywood has been developing a live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira for decades, but the project hasn't had the best of luck getting past the starting line. When Taika Waititi (JOJO RABBIT) boarded the project several years ago, it seemed as though it had a fighting chance, but Warner Bros. pulled the film from their slate when Waititi elected to move forward with THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER first. At the time, Waititi said that he was still planning on returning to AKIRA after he completed work on the THOR sequel, but in an interview with Variety following his recent win at the Academy Awards, it doesn't seem that he's quite as confident.

"The whole thing went on hold," Waititi explained. "We had to keep pushing the dates, and it encroached on the “Thor” dates, which were immovable. So “Akira” ended up shifting two years down the track… Post-“Thor.” So I’m not sure if even in two years I’d be — I don’t know what I’m doing in f—ing two days. I think eventually it will happen. I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it." Before the project was pushed back, Taika Waititi was also slated to co-write the script with Michael Golamco, and the official logline seemed to be sticking pretty close to the original story: "A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop." Waititi had also said that he would be going straight to the original manga source rather than simply remaking the anime. "I actually love the books," Waititi said. "Love the movie, but I would not do a remake of the movie. I would do an adaptation of the books."

Taika Waititi once again denied the rumours that he would be directing a STAR WARS movie. "I wish there was a better story, I’ll put it that way," Waititi said. "Are there discussions about the “Star Wars” film? Like, yeah, I discussed with my friends in 1996 how cool “Star Wars” was. That’s what they’re going off… I think people see me hanging out with people, especially with “Star Wars,” and think I’m having some big discussions about it. I would f—ing love to… If it was right. I would want to do any kind of movie if it made sense, and if it felt not like career suicide." Waititi's next film, the sports comedy NEXT GOAL WINS, will hit theaters later this year, while THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER is slated for a November 5, 2021 release.