A live-action adaptation of trying to get a live-action Akira movie off the ground since Sony Pictures acquired the rights to the original manga in the 1990s. Over the years, everyone from Blade director Stephen Norrington to Rogue One writer Gary Whitta has been attached to the live-action Akira project. Jordan Peele and George Miller both turned down the chance to direct an Akira remake.
The live-action Akira movie came closer to becoming a reality than ever when Taika Waititi signed on to direct it as his follow-up to Thor: Ragnarok. He co-wrote the script with Michael Golamco, with a release date set for May 21, 2021. However, when Waititi moved on to Thor: Love and Thunder and then to his current project, Klara and the Sun, the project was once again put on hold. Waititi might eventually return to Akira someday, but it seems unnecessary, because the perfect live-action Akira movie actually got made back in 2012.
Chronicle (2012) Was Heavily Inspired By Akira
Chronicle Is Another Y.A. Sci-Fi Thriller About A Telekinetic Teen Pursued By The Government
Josh Trank’s 2012 directorial debut Chronicle is a unique found-footage take on the superhero genre, and it has a lot in common with Akira. Akira revolves around a young adult, Tetsuo Shima, who acquires telekinetic superpowers in a motorcycle crash. Chronicle revolves around teenage Andrew Detmer, who acquires telekinetic superpowers while checking out a glowing crystalline object he and his friends discover in a mysterious hole in the woods. Both Tetsuo and Andrew go down a dark path after acquiring their powers, and their friends try to talk them down.
A Chronicle sequel has been in development since the first film was released.
As they begin to unleash their powers on the world, both Tetsuo and Andrew are hunted down by their respective governments. Tetsuo is tracked down by the dystopian military complex of the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo, while Andrew is tracked down by the regular cops at the Seattle Police Department. In many ways, Chronicle is a grounded, contemporary version of Akira. Trank’s direction of Chronicle was inspired by Carrie and The Fury, Brian De Palma’s back-to-back supernatural thrillers about telekinetic teens, but above all, he was influenced by Akira.
Chronicle May Be The Closest Thing We'll Get To Live-Action Akira
The Akira Remake Keeps Getting Delayed
Since the Akira remake keeps getting delayed, Chronicle might be the closest thing to a live-action Akira movie that ever gets made. It’s a superhero thriller about a teenager who gains telekinetic abilities, goes down a dark path, and has to be saved by his childhood friend. Akira is known for its distinctive visual style, and the conceit of Andrew’s video diary capturing the story similarly gives Chronicle its own visual identity.
What The Ideal Live-Action Akira Adaptation Should Look Like
The Best Live-Action Akira Movie Would Maintain The Vibrant Visuals Of The Anime (& Not Whitewash The Cast)
There’s an argument to be made that Akira doesn’t need a live-action adaptation. The anime is a perfect cinematic telling of its story, and recent live-action interpretations of animated classics have proven that the transition from animation to live-action usually makes for an uglier, inferior version of the story. But since Hollywood hasn’t given up on the notion of a live-action Akira for over three decades, it seems likely that a live-action adaptation will eventually get made. And when it does, there are a few key things it has to get right.
10 Reasons Akira's Live-Action Movie Is So Hard To Make
The live-action Akira movie has been in the works for over two decades. Here is why a live-action Akira remake is so difficult to make.
Hollywood might be tempted to take the Akira story out of Japan and Americanize it, but that would fundamentally change the source material. Japan’s role in World War II is crucial to Akira’s narrative; Unit 731 and the atomic bombings were major influences on the original Akira story. It’s been suggested that it could be changed so that the 9/11 attacks take the place of the atomic bombings in the backstory, but that would require so many changes that it wouldn’t be Akira anymore, and it might as well be its own thing, like Chronicle.
Hollywood might be tempted to take the Akira story out of Japan and Americanize it, but that would fundamentally change the source material.
One of the biggest concerns about a Hollywood remake of Akira has been that it would be whitewashed. Based on the actors who have been linked to the Akira remake over the years, from Chris Evans to Garrett Hedlund to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, those concerns seem valid. The Akira remake needs to stay in Japan and cast Japanese actors. Above all, a live-action version of Akira would need to maintain the vibrant visuals of the anime. It’s an aesthetically stunning movie, and any remake can’t afford to wash out the colors or flatten the style.
Chronicle is a superhero film captured in a "found-footage" format similar to films like Cloverfield that follows three high school seniors brought together by a mysterious alien artifact. After stumbling upon a mysterious hole in the middle of the woods, they find a crystal that gives them inexplicable powers that grow as time es. The movie records the teens practicing their newfound abilities, but when one friend begins to give in to the temptation of power and control, this quickly spirals beyond their control.
- Writers
- Max Landis, Josh Trank
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
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