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Action ‘Akira’ Leaves Warner Bros. After Decades In Production Hell
- Warner Bros. ended its decades-long attempt to produce a live-action Akira film by letting the rights revert to Kodansha in 2025.
- This followed nearly 20 years of development struggles, multiple creative teams, and a 2002 acquisition of the rights to adapt the 1988 anime.
- Notable talent including Stephen Norrington and Taika Waititi were attached at times, but production faced ongoing setbacks and title removal from release schedules.
- The project accrued development costs estimated in the eight figures, and Katsuhiro Otomo, original manga author and anime director, retained final oversight of the script.
- With rights now with Kodansha, other studios may pursue live-action Akira, but past difficulties and respect for the source material suggest challenges remain.
39 Articles
39 Articles
23 Years Later, The Most Cursed Sci-Fi Remake Just Fell Apart Again
TohoSome projects get a reputation for being “unadaptable” because the story is too vast to be contained, while others earn the label because every attempt to recapture some old magic fails. But more often than not, attempts to adapt some beloved source material fall apart simply because things fail to connect behind the scenes, damning projects to the wastes of development hell. The latest victim is a remake of a classic animated film that had …
After many failed attempts, Warner Bros. has renounced the rights of "Akira" - one of the most important Japanese animated films ever.
Taika Waititi's Live-Action 'Akira' Officially Dead, Warner Bros. Gives Films Rights Back To Original Manga Publisher Kodansha
Kaneda makes a stand against the United Nations' forces in Katsuhiro Otomo's illustration for Akira Club (2005), Kodansha After 20+ years in development Hell and the threat of its story being brought to life under the direction of Taika Waititi, Warner Bros.’ attempt at an live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s seminal manga Akira has officially been relegated to the trash bin of Hollywood. Kaneda performs the original version of his iconic…
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