If you’re looking for a Japanese creation which many people are hesitant to see receive the Hollywood treatment, Akira is possibly the ultimate. The definition of cult, its fanbase is passionate and unlikely to be unimpressed by whatever changes are made for it to suit an American audience.
However, what if the license was in the hands of someone who knew what they were doing when it comes to adaptations? Someone who managed to make a whole movie-going public forget about batnipples? Someone who, according to many people, is the best director working today?
According to Den of Geek, that’s exactly what we could be getting if the rumours about Christopher Nolan directing an Akira trilogy are anything to go by. With Nolan’s next release slated in for 2017, it would be a tight production schedule to get it filmed, edited and in theaters by then, but perhaps things have been in motion for a while already. With Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company also supposedly attached, it just brings yet more attention on the project.
Quite way Warner Bros. want to create a trilogy out of the series is anybody’s guess; it’s not something that would make particular sense to do in the eyes of fans and newcomers. After the disappointment of The Hobbit trilogy (which, without the aid of rose-tinted spectacles, was just not very good), it would be a surprise to see a license stretched to breaking point again by Hollywood so soon. Then again, they do love their money.
Drawing up a list of potential directors for an Akira film, Nolan would probably be near the top for most people. However, after a relatively short time between the end of his The Dark Knight trilogy and now, it might not be a step he particularly wants to take, especially if Interstellar is anything to go by.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site.
