Taika Waititi's live-action adaptation of the beloved manga Akira has been pulled off Warner Bros.' release calendar indefinitely. Once made into an animated film in 1988, the original story follows the leader of a biker gang in dystopian Japan whose best friend acquires telekinetic abilities. A synopsis for the live-action adaptation showed there would be noticeable differences between it and the iterations that came before. The adaptation helmed by Waititi has been planned for a while now, but it's hit several road blocks.
Waititi was first tapped to direct the film back in 2017, just before Thor: Ragnarok brought him into the mainstream. Following that news, Akira remained in early development for a while with no further details emerging. Then, earlier this year, there were reports suggesting the movie could begin filming in July with a May 2021 release date eyed. When July arrived, fans were disappointed to hear that instead of production starting, Akira had been delayed due to Waititi's commitment to Thor: Love and Thunder. In October, it was reported that Waititi was still attached to the film.
THR writer Borys Kit revealed the news that Akira has officially been removed from Warner Bros.' calendar. This comes on the heels of Warner Bros. officially dating The Matrix 4 and The Flash. The Matrix 4 has been given Akira's 2021 release date. While this doesn't mean Waititi's Akira will never see the light of day, it certainly won't be released for a very, very long time.
This shouldn't come as too big of a surprise seeing as Waititi will most likely start directing Thor: Love and Thunder at some point next year. The Marvel film was officially scheduled this past summer, and the executives at Disney/Marvel likely didn't give Waititi a lot of extra free time before Thor: Love and Thunder's production begins. Waititi is also just coming off the release of his World War II comedy Jojo Rabbit, which is stirring up awards season buzz.
Akira is a difficult adaptation for Warner Bros. thanks to its heavy sci-fi elements, and its long development process doesn't instill a lot of confidence in the project. Waititi is a beloved director with a solid track record though, so if he actually does get the chance to work on Akira, it could surpass expectations. With Thor: Love and Thunder not hitting theaters until November 2021, any further Akira development won't be coming for some time, at least as long as Waititi remains attached.
Source: Borys Kit/Twitter