Fans of ‘Akira’ are highly worried about a live-action take of the anime but we now know that Taika Waititi wants to adopt the original manga instead. For those unfamiliar with the source material, there is a huge 6-volume set that has a lot more story than the anime had given us. While creator Katsuhiro Otomo had a dystopian Neo-Tokyo in both versions of his work, there were quite a few differences between them and the manga fleshed out the story and characters much further than what the anime was able to show on screen.
While a movie has been trying to get off the ground since 2002 with quite a few failed attempts we’re excited to see what Waititi can do after seeing his fantastic success in ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’ I’d have been eager to see what Jordan Peele could have done with the property as well, but I’m loving the idea of Waititi taking this one on.
According to the director though, things are still in the development stages and not too far into them at that:
“I haven’t really started to get my head around it yet. What I wanted to do was an adaptation of the books, ’cos a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t touch that film!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book.’ A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich. But (the anime) Akira is one of my favourite films; my mum took me to see it when I was 13, and it changed my life.”
As someone who has read the books, I love that he is going this route to tell us a story which so many haven’t fully experienced.
For those unfamiliar with the series, it is a cyberpunk thriller with a focus on teenage bikers who live in the slums of Neo Tokyo. The city has been rebuilt after World War III and not only do we follow a biker gang but there is also a secret military project and quite a bit of politics at play to boot. Oh, and there is quite a bit of philosophy in the story as well.
Are you willing to give a live-action ‘Akira’ a shot if it is based on the manga? Do you feel that Waititi can do this world justice? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Dazed
