Albert Hughes leaves Akira adaptation; film still on the fast track

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Well, first Keanu Reeves ditched Warner Bros.’ adaptation of AKIRA, and now its Albert Hughes, the director. Deadline.com reports that Hughes has parted ways with the production thanks to old-fashioned “creative differences”.

This is perhaps an even more serious blow to the big-budget sci-fi film than Reeves’ departure; the studio still has a wish list consisting of Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy – among many others – for their main star. However, Hughes has long been attached to the film, and his abandoning it could throw a big wrench into the works. Deadline insists that Warners is determined to keep the film on the fast track, and is currently scrambling to find a replacement…

Meanwhile, Hughes begins searching for his next gig. Apparently he’ll stick with Warner Bros., where he and his brother made BOOK OF ELI.

AKIRA‘s synopsis: Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes of World War III to become a dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only maintains a token control over the powerful military that prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past. Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo’s darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but, unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo’s powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him.

BOOK OF ELI star Mila Kunis