We’ve known for a while now that a live-action version of popular Japanese anime Akira was on the way through Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Appian Way Productions. Apart from knowing this, not many updates have been offered so far, but according to NY Mag’s Vulture Blog, a director — or directors — are about to be obtained.
Sources say that Warner Brothers is in negotiations with the Hughes Brothers, Allen and Albert, to take on the remake. The brothers are just coming off of a WB project with the post-apocalyptic drama, The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington. It would appear that the studio very much liked what the duo did with that property, and that it would best to scoop them right back up again here.
It’s also apparently part of the overall plan to make not one, but two Akira films. The 1988 animated movie that most casual fans are familiar with is only a portion of Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1982 manga series. Even splitting it into two movies will be no easy feat; if you’ve seen even just the animated film, you know how insane it is, and how hard it would be to bring it into a live-action format.
The script for the movie is written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, who previously worked together on Children of Men, Iron Man, and the upcoming comic book adaptation of Cowboys & Aliens together.
An official announcement of this news is expected soon, and if all goes according to plan, the first part of this Akira film is due out some time in 2011.
