Taika Waititi has confirmed that he’s still trying to get his live-action version of Akira off the ground. Originally based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1982 manga of the same name, Akira tells the story of what happens when a secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo by turning a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends, and a group of psychics. Considered by many to be one of the greatest anime and sci-films of all time, Akira remains a must-see experience for cyberpunk enthusiasts and animation fans alike. Waititi officially signed on to direct a live-action version of Akira in 2017 but has encountered several roadblocks on the project’s way toward production.
Recently while speaking with Wired about a variety of projects, including Free Guy and Thor: Love and Thunder, Waititi revealed that he doesn’t “wanna give up” on his desire to bring Akira to the silver screen. “I’m still trying [to make it],” Waititi said.
Waititi has previously said that Akira will 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.” Waititi also added that he wouldn’t whitewash the film, preferring instead to discover unknown Asian actors. “Yeah. Actually, Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent,” Waititi said. “Yeah, I’d probably want to take it a bit back more towards the books.”
While I’m still not sure that we need a live-action version of Akira, it does sound like Waititi has the source material’s best interest at heart. I also love the idea of him pushing for “untapped talent” as opposed to big-name actors that are more “studio friendly.” Does anyone remember when Leonardo DiCaprio’s Akira was supposed to arrive in movie theaters on May 21, 2021? Haha! Those sure were good times, eh? Ah well, if Hollywood insists on creating a live-action version of Akira, I hope they do right by the story and characters in every regard. It would be a shame for this project to travel such a long road only to be hated by fans of the original.