You may be getting déjà vu, but I assure you this is a new update. After Warner Bros.’ live-action adaptation of Akira was killed, then resurrected, then killed again…and resurrected again, it finally looked like it was all set to go with Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra and a greenlight from the studio. Even casting such as Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe and Helena Bonham Carter was all nearly locked down. But we got ahead of ourselves.
THR reports that the studio is “pushing the pause button” yet again on the film. They’ve shut down production offices in Vancover and a source said, “everybody is being sent home.” Unless Collet-Serra and producers fix the script in the next two weeks, with or without the hired Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves, the project could finally be completely scrapped.
With a budget around $90 million, WB is still shaky, saying it needs to be lowered to “between $60 million and $70 million.” I have no idea how they could come in around there and still deliver this epic story based on the futuristic Japanese manga. I’m in the minority that Collet-Serra is the perfect fit to direct this film with his knack for control and pacing, but the casting has left me very worried. At this point, I’d rather see this one scrapped, despite WB’s persistence on getting it made. I’m sure we’ll get an update by the end of the month on the fate of this ambitious project. And hopefully it is the last one.
Do you think Akira should be scrapped or should the budget be lowered and production move ahead?