Taika Waititi in Talks to Direct Live-Action 'Akira' Remake

Jordan Peele had been previously said to be involved

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Sep 20, 2017

Months after Warner Bros. was rumoured to be pursuing Jordan Peele to direct a live-action remake of Akira, Deadline reports the studio is now in talks with Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi to helm the project.

The site reports that negotiations between Waititi and Warner Bros. are ongoing, while Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar has been named as producer alongside Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson.

Deadline also notes that Warner Bros. has plans to divide Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume graphic novel into two separate films. Waititi is currently set to direct the forthcoming Fox Searchlight film Jojo Rabbit, a WWII dramedy he wrote the script for, which begins shooting this spring.

A film adaptation of Akira has been in the works for years, with Warner Bros. last stopping production in 2012 to further develop the script. 

Latest Coverage