Leonardo DiCaprio-produced Live-Action Adaptation of “Akira” is Still Happening, Apparently

Honestly, no one can blame us if we thought that the live-action film of Akira will forever languish in the development stage—after all, the project was first announced to be greenlit by Warner in 2011, but then just a year later it was announced that production has officially been halted. The yet-to-happen film has already undergone several changes in possible directors, delays in production, and other events that almost ensured that the film will never see the light of day.

Recent developments, however, appear to ensure that the film is indeed happening, and it might happen soon: according to entertainment website Variety, Leonardo diCaprio’s Appian Way company has been granted an $18.5 million tax credit by the California Film Commission to produce Akira and to shoot the film in the said state. To receive the tax credit, production on the film must begin within 180 days—which somehow ensures that the film will be finally pulled out of limbo.

According to entertainment website Deadline, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi will most likely direct Akira, as he was the last director who was attached to the project. This really seems quite possible, as Waititi has expressed interest in the project in the past and even promised that the film will not be whitewashed if ever he does end up in the director’s chair:

“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. Yeah, I’d probably want to take it a bit back more towards the books.”

The 1988 animated film Akira was based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s post-apocalyptic cyberpunk manga series of the same name. Otomo directed and co-wrote the film’s script as well, and his work has gone on to become an influential cult classic and is widely regarded as one of the best animated films of all time.

Source: Variety, Deadline