One of the longest gestating Hollywood projects there is has to be Hollywood’s attempt to adapt Katsuhiro Otomo’s iconic six-book manga and 1988 anime film “Akira” into a live-action feature.
Set in the wake of the third World War, the story follows the leader of a biker gang in Neo-Tokyo as he tries to save his friend from a medical experiment. The project has been in the works on and off since the 1990s with filmmakers like Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”), Jaume Collet-Serra (“The Shallows”), Justin Lin (“Fast Five”), Daniel Espinosa (“Life”) and David Sandberg (“Shazam”) all attached at one point or another.
Another name closely linked, but didn’t quite get attached, was director Jordan Peele. After the success of “Get Out,” Warners approached Peele about the job and he seriously considered the project before ultimately declining the offer and going on to make “Us”.
In a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Peele reflected on his take on the remake. He says while he still remains a fan of the source material, he has no regrets about opting out of the adaptation:
“It’s a project I’m so passionate about. I’m glad I didn’t do it because I feel like… staying away from that, trying to interpret that IP just set me on the path to create something new. But I want to see Neo-Tokyo. I want to see an all-Japanese cast. I want to feel immersed in the world, the way of the films in the manga.”
Katsuhiro Otomo confirmed a few years back that any live-action “Akira” remake can be shut down if he doesn’t approve, and the failure of the live-action “Ghost in the Shell” film likely hasn’t helped the push to bring “Akira” to life.
Source: Indiewire
