Live-action Akira movie finally dies after Warner Bros. give up rights to beloved anime

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It was too difficult for Tetsuo and the studio, apparently.

A man on a red motorbike during one of the best sci-fi movies ever made, Akira.
(Image credit: Toho)

Trying to bring what is widely regarded as one of the greatest animes ever made into the real world is no easy task, so much so that after more than 20 years, Warner Bros. has finally given up on their hopes for an Akira movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The history of the studio's struggle to get the project off the ground now feels as epic as the source material. Based on the 1982 manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira was adapted into the now-iconic anime in 1988 and follows Shōtarō Kaneda as he attempts to rescue his best friend and fellow biker gang member, Tetsuo Shima, who has been captured by the government and experimented on to awaken his psychic abilities. The transformation eventually leads to a battle that tears the futuristic world of Neo Tokyo apart.

The daring filmmaker made considerable progress with it, even attempting to secure an all-Japanese cast. Sadly, however, development began to slow down again, with Waititi focusing on other projects, including his Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit. In 2020, the director effectively confirmed it was off the table, saying, “I think eventually it will happen, I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it.” Now, with the rights out in the wild once more, whatever Waititi had planned, we're certainly never going to see it.

Nick Staniforth
Nick Staniforth
Contributing Writer

Nick is a freelancer whose work can be found at Screen Rant, The Digital Fix, and Looper. He loves movies, TV, DC, and Marvel. He also believes that the best Robin Hood is still a talking fox.

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