Taika Waititi's 'Akira' Movie Put on Hold Indefinitely
The long-in-the-works live action remake of the classic anime film "Akira" has been put on hold, indefinitely.
The project, which "Thor: Ragnarok's"Taika Waititi was attached to direct, recently received a release date on May 21, 2021. But Warner Bros. has shut down production, which was set to begin this fall.
The news comes just a day after the report that Waititi will direct "Thor 4."
According to Variety, Warner Bros. studio hopes that "Akira" can get back on track once the director is done with the Marvel movie. Waititi was reportedly meeting with young Japanese actors for "Akira's" two lead roles.
This is yet another setback for the project, which has been through development hell since Warner Bros. first acquired the rights in 2002. Various directors have been rumored to be attached, including Justin Lin and Jordan Peele.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1980s manga series and the animated 1988 cult film are set in a dystopian near-future in Neo-Tokyo, which was built after the old Tokyo was destroyed by a psychic attack. A pair of teen bikers, Tetsuo and Kaneda, become targets of the government when Tetsuo suddenly develops psychic powers. Soon, the bikers are on the run not just from the government, but from Akira, the powerful psychic behind the first psychic explosion that destroyed Tokyo.