1988’s Akira is one of the most beloved and cherished anime films ever produced. And Taika Waititi is a highly sought after director ever since the release of Thor: Ragnarok. So when it was announced that he would be tackling a live-action Akira back in 2017, some fans may not have known how to feel. On one hand, live-action anime adaptations are rarely good. One must only look at Dragonball Evolution or Ghost in the Shell to understand. On the other hand, Waititi is an incredibly talented filmmaker. Unlike those other adaptations, he also promised no whitewashing.
Unfortunately, the project has seen several delays. Warner Bros. has actually been trying for years to get an Akira film off the ground. But Waititi’s attachment made it seem almost certain. A release date of May 21st, 2021 was set this year. But due to Waititi’s commitment to Marvel, it’s been delayed yet again.
Waititi insures that the project is still coming. During the press junket for his latest film, Jojo Rabbit, IGN asked him about the adaptation. He had this to say:
Unfortunately, the timing with Akira, because we’ve been working really hard on the script, we had to keep pushing the start date for the shoot. We ended up having to push it a couple weeks too far, which actually ate into the Thor schedule, because they were very close together. And that got pushed again and again. And it just got too far into the Thor schedule to be able to make it work. So now I’ve kind of had to take Akira and sort of shift it around to the tail-end of Thor and move it down a couple of years.”
So, it’s still coming. It will just have to wait until after Thor: Love and Thunder, which releases on November 5th, 2021.
Akira follows a gang of teenage bikers living in Neo-Tokyo. But one of their own gains psychic abilities from a government experiment. This causes him to go on a psychotic rampage through the city. And the friends must band together to stop him.
Are you excited for Taika Waititi to take on Akira? Let us know in the comments below.
