Hughe’s Brothers To Remake Live Action Version of ‘Akira’

It’s been talked about over and over again, and just as recently as last summer, fans of the cult anime rejoiced when they heard that the live action project was dead where it stood. Well… that’s not the case anymore. According to Vulture we have a remake on the way very soon, with some very big names on board. The Hughes Brothers, the men behind this year’s actually very decent sci-fi actioner Book Of Eli, have officially been attached to direct the film with Iron Man writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby apparently penning the script. It’s good news that we have some seasoned veterans on board, but the real question remains, will they be able to do the original justice? And even more, will they be able to do the manga justice?

Personally, I’m a casual fan of the film. I’ve seen it twice and it is an extraordinary piece of art. I’ve never read the grapic novel, however, and from what I hear, the film works far better as an accompaniment to the manga. Both the film and the novel (I assume) have incredibly in depth psychological inner workings surrounded by a brilliant science fiction plot and even more astounding visuals. This is the essence that the fans have become so attached to, and if the live action film leaves out any of these ingredients, then I fear that it simply won’t work. There is no doubt in my mind that Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s Akira would make an awesome live action movie, but, like all other adaptations, especially of works that already have a loyal following, it needs to be done properly and with respect for the source material and for the fans. There is one bit of info that caught me by surprise, and that is actually a very intelligent move. Apparently Warner wants the film to be split into two parts. Instead of shaving off half of the plot in order to slim the running time down to two hours or so (*ehem* Watchmen), there will be two films written, and two films directed by the same team. This should make for a very interesting series, and allow the writers (so long as they, themselves, become as emotionally involved with Akira as the fans are) to really explore some of the more meaningful and metaphysical aspects of the original manga.

I’m actually pretty excited to hear more about this project as it develops, but like I said, I’m only a casual Akira fan. I’d love to hear what some of the die-hards have to say about this, mainly because I want to know what it is that would keep them from wanting a live action version of Akira. So talk it up. Leave some comments and discuss.

-William Gutheil