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Live-Action Akira Film Rights Revert From Warner Back to Kodansha

The Hollywood Reporter wrote on Friday that Warner Bros. has released the rights for its planned live-action film of Katsuhiro Ōtomo's Akira manga after over two decades of intermittent development. The outlet also reported that the rights have now reverted back to Kodansha, and that producers and talent are aiming to attach themselves to the property to pitch to other studios and streamers.

The manga set in 2019 in Neo-Tokyo, a city rebuilt after being destroyed in a mysterious explosion. Otomo directed his own animated film adaptation that opened on July 16, 1988 — the same day that the film's story has the fictional Tokyo being destroyed.

Warner initially developed a live-action adaptation in 2002 with director Stephen Norrington (Blade, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and writer James Robinson (Starman comic, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and producer Jennifer Davisson's production company Appian Way Productions (The Aviator, The Revenant) then joined the project and remained on development until now.

Warner eventually slated the live-action film for release in the summer of 2009 and would have moved the story's setting to "'New Manhattan,' a city rebuilt after being destroyed 31 years ago." The many creators who then attempted to move the project forward included director Ruairi Robinson (The Last Days on Mars, writer Gary Whitta (Book of Eli, Rogue One), writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man), directors Allen and Albert Hughes (Menace II Society, The Book of Eli), writer Steve Kloves (Harry Potter films, Wonder Boys), and director Jaume Collet-Sera (House of Wax, The Shallows).

Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) was negotiating to direct the film in 2017. Warner then slated the film to begin production in fall of 2019, for theatrical release on May 21, 2021. However, the studio delayed the film indefinitely and then removed the film from its release schedule in 2019. Waititi explained later that year that Akira kept getting pushed back due to the staff "working really hard on the script," until production began to overlap with Waititi directing Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder film.

Waititi was reportedly in the process of choosing two Japanese actors for the lead roles, and the studio originally delayed the project to allow him time for the that process. However, Variety noted in July 2019 that there may be "more creative disagreements over the project." Waititi said in an interview in April 2018 that he planned to adapt the original manga as opposed to the anime film adaptation.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter (Borys Kit) via World of Reel