Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. will turn anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo’s six-volume graphic novel “Akira” into two live-action feature films, the first of which is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. The project is being touted as “Blade Runner” meets “City of God.”
Warner Bros. is shelling out an undisclosed 7-figure deal for the rights to the features, each that will be based on three of the books in the Otomo series of stories.
The films will take place in New Manhattan, a metropolis that was rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years earlier. In the original manga the city was Tokyo and it was destroyed by some kind of mysterious nuclear device.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way company will share in production duties along with Andrew Lazar’s Mad Chance company. Ruairi Robinson (“The Silent City”) will direct a script adapted by Gary Whitta (“Book of Eli”).
I think this one is doomed from the start to being unable to to live up to the expectations that everyone will have.
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no.
no way! akira is japanese not american. thats just WRONG!! stick to the books dammit!
I would rather see the Animated Akira film get re released in theatres. Katsuhiro Otomo should develop the rest of the series into another anime film. The live action stuff is hard to pull off. Transformers was not Japanese enough. We’ll all be in the same nervous spot when Hollywood puts Robotech / Macross on the chopping block. It never ends.
new Manhattan? good god this is going to suck why must we change everything to fit our little understanding of the world this is a japanese story not everything has to happen in new york or L.A. why can’t anything be of importance outside of our country
I was pleased about the idea, until i read it would be set in Manhattan…that will probably take a lot of the original vibe away.