'Akira' Movie Still Alive With 'Iron Man' Screenwriters

We all thought the live-action “Akira” movie was dead and buried, but we were wrong.

According to Collider, the update on Katsuhiro Otomo’s popular anime (based on his graphic novel) is still breathing, though it’s not exactly up and walking around just yet.

Warner Bros. has kept the project in development and is about to receive a new script from Oscar nominees Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, whose joint credits include “Children of Men,” “Iron Man” and the upcoming “Cowboys & Aliens” (which recently added director Jon Favreau and actor Robert Downey Jr.).

The "Akira" anime was set in “Neo-Tokyo” of 2019, but the American live-action remake will transport the story to “New Manhattan.” Also important to note: the iconic electro-magnetic cycle ridden by main character Kaneda in the original anime will also appear in the live-action version. Beyond that, details of the film are still pretty vague at this early stage.

The "Akira" anime tells the tale of a futuristic motorcycle gang whose youngest member, Tetsuo, winds up in a government lab after a bad bike accident. When the government's tests unlock massive psychic energies in Tetsuo, the young boy sets out to wreak vengeance on those who mistreated him, even as his new powers spiral grossly out of control.

According to Collider’s sources, if the current draft of the script gets the necessary stamp of approval, the "Akira" movie could go into production as soon as next year, aimed for a 2011 release date. The film has long been gestating over at WB, with Leonardo Dicaprio’s Appian Way production company also working to develop the project.
Even being a big fan of the original anime, I'm still very excited to one day see this. Word is that it may get a huge budget, which I think is the first step in the right direction, considering they really need to make this pretty epic to live up to the anime. Now if Fergus and Ostby's script turns out pretty great, they just need to find a director who can take all their writing and turn it into an excellent movie.

Are you glad the “Akira” remake is still alive?
More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: Screen Rant, MTV News, First Showing