The live-action adaptation of the 1988 cult smash-hit Akira has been languishing in development hell for a ridiculously long time. Ever since being announced back in 2002, the new take on Akira has been passed around to several filmmakers, with the most recent being Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi. However, due to Waititi tackling Thor: Love and Thunder over at Marvel, that necessitated that Akira once again be delayed. Waititi has discussed the movie recently, with his words offering some hope, before adding a dash of disappointment.
“I think eventually it will happen. I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it.”
As things currently stand, Taika Waititi has said that Akira is still very much in development, but, sadly, he’s not sure if he’ll end up being the one to bring it to the big screen. This mixed news came after Waititi had elaborated somewhat on what caused the delay to the much-anticipated live-action Akira.
“The whole thing went on hold. 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.”
He was then asked if he would be directing the movie after Thor, to which Waititi responded with his usual brand of refreshing candor.
“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.”
It is now coming up to two decades since Warner Bros put the Akira remake into production, and despite there being many setbacks, the studio still seems determined to make it happen. When Taika Waititi signed on to direct the movie last year the plan was to have it released on May 21, 2021, but, of course, that is no longer going to happen. The Akira remake has now been removed from the schedule, with The Matrix 4 being slotted into that date instead. Since then, there have been no updates about the movie.
For those who are perhaps unaware, Akira stands as one of the best-known examples of contemporary Japanese animation. This cyberpunk adventure takes place in the post-apocalyptic city of Neo-Tokyo. Biker Kaneda is confronted by many anti-social elements while trying to help his friend Tetsuo, a teen-age boy who is exposed to a mysterious energy source and develops telekinetic powers that place him at the center of a conflict that may destroy the world.
Though it sounds very unlikely he will be the one to bring Akira to life, Waititi will be behind the camera once again for his follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder, which will once again see Chris Hemsworth as the Asgardian superhero and will likely see his on-off love interest Jane Foster demonstrate her worthiness. This comes to us from Variety.
