According to Variety, Warner Bros. studio hopes that “Akira” can get back on track once the director is done with the Marvel movie. Waititi was reportedly meeting with young Japanese actors for “Akira’s” two lead roles.
This is yet another setback for the project, which has been through development hell since Warner Bros. first acquired the rights in 2002. Various directors have been rumored to be attached, including Justin Lin and Jordan Peele.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s 1980s manga series and the animated 1988 cult film are set in a dystopian near-future in Neo-Tokyo, which was built after the old Tokyo was destroyed by a psychic attack. A pair of teen bikers, Tetsuo and Kaneda, become targets of the government when Tetsuo suddenly develops psychic powers. Soon, the bikers are on the run not just from the government, but from Akira, the powerful psychic behind the first psychic explosion that destroyed Tokyo.
As the MCU moves into its next phase, the “Thor” franchise will continue: “Thor 4” is officially in the works, with “Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi once again at the helm.
The scoop comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which says that Waititi has just signed on to both write and direct the latest flick following the God of Thunder. As is typical with Marvel projects, no details about the potential plot were revealed, though there are a number of different directions in which Waititi and co. can take the franchise moving forward, considering where Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) ended up at the conclusion of “Avengers: Endgame.”
When we last saw our heroes, Thor was jetting off to join the Guardians of the Galaxy gang (perhaps setting up a cameo in “Guardians vol. 3”), while Valkyrie had taken over as the ruler of the Asgardians. Hemsworth is expected to return for “Thor 4,” according to THR, though there’s no word yet on Thompson’s involvement.
What is more clear, however, is how “Thor 4” will affect Waititi’s upcoming flick “Akira,” the live-action remake of the anime classic. That Warner Bros. project, which had been languishing in development for quite some time, was delayed by scripting changes that pushed back its production start date, which in turn put it in conflict with “Thor 4.” Now that Waititi has committed to the latter film, Warner Bros. is putting “Akira” on indefinite hold; while it’s not a done deal yet, THR says that the studio may simply wait for the director to wrap “Thor 4,” and save the project for him to tackle after he finishes the Marvel movie.
Stay tuned to see when “Thor 4” is expected to hit theaters.
Lots of “Akira” news coming out of the Anime Expo in Los Angeles
Katsuhiro Otomo, who directed the 1988 film “Akira” and created the original manga that inspired it, announced he will also direct a new anime series that will be a continuation of the steampunk cult classic.
And there will be a 4K remastering of the 1988 film. It will be released Japan in April 2020. We assume it will also be released internationally at a later date.
The new series will be produced by Bandai Namco’s Sunrise, although no other details were mentioned.
Otomo is also working on “Orbital Era,” his third anime feature. According to the project’s website, it will be set “in the near future on a space colony under construction,” and be “an action-adventure story of some boys in this peculiar environment and society who keep living their lives while they’re being tossed about by fate.”
Also look for a “Complete Works” collection chronicling his career since 1971. It will be released by Akira publisher Kodansha.
Studios like Pixar and Laika have long since proven that animated movies don’t have to just be for kids; they can appeal to wide audiences. But some animated movies have taken things a step further. These movies prove that sometimes animation can be geared specifically to an adult audience. Here are 11 great animated movies definitely not intended for younger viewers.
‘Watership Down’ (1978)
Cinema International Corporation
While ostensibly aimed at children, “Watership Down” is not for the faint of heart regardless of age. Forget cutesy, Disney-fied animals – this film captures the animal kingdom at its most brutal and savage. An entire generation of children was scarred by the terrifying imagery seen here.
‘Akira’ (1988)
Toho
“Akira” was among the first anime movies to make a significant impact in the US, and for good reason. It’s widely regarded as one of the high points of the medium, as well as one of the most painstakingly detailed animated films ever created. But between the adult subject matter and the downright confusing storyline, this is strictly for older viewers.
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ (1988)
Toho
It’s hard to recommend “Grave of the Fireflies” to anyone. The problem isn’t quality, as this WWII drama is regarded as another high point for the Japanese animation scene. It’s just the the film is so relentlessly bleak and depressing in its examination of two starving children struggling to survive in the waning days of the war. Don’t watch unless you don’t mind suffering an existential crisis for several days afterward.
‘Perfect Blue’ (1997)
Rex Entertainment
Another well-regarded classic in the anime world, “Perfect Blue” also marks the feature-length directorial debut of legendary director Satoshi Kon. This film follows an up-and-coming actress who deals with a stalker and (like many of Kon’s protagonists) finds the lines between reality and fantasy becoming increasingly blurred. “Perfect Blue” struck a chord with many Western artists, particularly “Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky and it was recently released as a deluxe Blu-ray from our friends at Shout Factory.
‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ (1999)
Paramount Pictures
“South Park” quickly made a name for itself in the late ’90s as a more vulgar and satirical alternative to “The Simpsons.” This theatrical spinoff proved that formula could work in longer doses, and that R-rated animated movies could actually be a box office draw. Among other things, “Bigger, Longer & Uncut” is one of the best animated movie musicals of the last several decades.
‘Cowboy Bebop: The Movie’ (2001)
Sony Pictures
While technically set toward the tail-end of the wildly popular anime series, “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” works as a standalone adventure featuring futuristic bounty hunter Spike Spiegel and his motley crew. The same unique fusion of science fiction, Western movies and funky jazz is in full effect here, along with an added dose of Middle Eastern flair for good measure.
‘Persepolis’ (2007)
Diaphana Distribution/Sony Pictures Classics
Rarely has a comic book movie managed to so faithfully recreate the look and spirit of the source material. Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novels are adapted in this film that explores her childhood during the Iranian Revolution (she co-directed the film version). Despite the often lighthearted nature of the animation, however, “Persepolis” is not intended for younger audiences.
‘Waltz With Bashir’ (2008)
Sony Pictures Classics
“Waltz With Bashir” is a unique example of director using animation to fuel a personal documentary (sort of). Ari Folman uses this combination as a way of exploring his own search for his lost memories of his experiences in the 1982 Lebanon War. The result is a very haunting and wholly unique anti-war film.
‘Anomalisa’ (2015)
Paramount Pictures
No one would ever mistake the work of Charlie Kaufman for any other director, and that holds true for his first foray into animation, “Anomalisa.” Kaufman teamed with stop-motion director Duke Johnson to tell a love story about a misanthropic customer service agent who views everyone in the world as being identical, at least until he meets a woman who stands out.
‘Sausage Party’ (2016)
Sony Pictures
“Sausage Party” is only the second American animated film to receive an R-rating after “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” and it’s every bit as outrageous and vulgar. Basically a raunchy parody of Pixar movies, “Sausage Party” features a cast of anthropomorphic food doing extremely inappropriate things. Fortunately, there’s more going on in this film that just gross-out humor, with sex, religion, and existential dread all on the menu.
‘Loving Vincent’ (2017)
Altitude Film Distribution
The sheer effort that went into bringing this Vincent Van Gogh biopic to life is incredible. “Loving Vincent” explores the circumstances surrounding the painter’s death, and it does so by becoming the first fully painted animated feature film. A team of 100 artists labored away creating tens of thousands of frames inspired by Van Gogh’s distinctive style.
After years in development hell, a live-action remake of animé classic “Akira” is finally happening, with “Thor: Ragnarok“‘s Taiki Waititi set to direct.
And that means he’s dropping out of another project, “Bubbles,” which would have been a stop-motion film told from the point of view of Michael Jackson‘s pet chimpanzee. That’s probably just as well.
According to The Wrap, “Akira” now has a release date of May 21, 2021, which puts it head to head with “John Wick 4” and an as-yet-untitled Marvel movie. Which is sort of ironic, as John Wick star Keanu Reeves was once rumored to star as Kenada when Albert Hughes was attached to direct an “Akira” live-action film in 2011.
Waititi’s project was first announced in 2017 before “Thor: Ragnarok,” was released. Back in April 2018, he assured fans that his film would be faithful to the books.
“What I wanted to do was an adaptation of the books, because a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t touch that film!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book,” Waititi told Dazed. “A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich.”
Original manga author Katsuhiro Otomo gave his blessing for a live-action remake, as long as he is allowed “to check and approve the scenario,” as he told Forbes in 2017.
Manga and animé hated recent live-action remakes of “Death Note” and “Ghost in the Shell,” so let’s hope “Akira” ends up closer in spirit to the original source.
The film is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions and will be released by Warner Bros.
The movie, produced by DiCaprio’s Appian Way at Warner Bros., is scheduled to be filmed entirely in California over 71 days, even though the story is set in Tokyo in the year 2060.
The project is expected to generate $92 million in qualified spending, the Film Commission said, including $43 million in wages to 200 below-the-line crew members and more than 5,000 extras and stand-ins.
The movies receiving tax incentives this year are 10 studio films and 8 indies. California will double for locales ranging from post-apocalyptic Tokyo to small-town Texas.
