Hollywood has been attempting to adapt the popular Japanese anime "Akira" into live-action for years now. Although nothing is official at this point, "Thor: Ragnarok" Taika Waititi revealed that he has actually been in talks to direct the remake.
"I am — that was more or less a rumor," he coyly explained to IGN. "There was, I mean, I was in talks to do that, for sure, and something that I was very passionate about — am passionate about."
He did not give away any specifics about the negotiations. But, he did provide a brief insight on which direction he would take the film if he ends up directing it.
Specifically, Waititi would adapt the "Akira" six-volume manga instead of the anime, which had to greatly shorten the story to fit into a two-hour runtime.
"Love the movie, but I would not do a remake of the movie," the director said. "I would do an adaptation of the books."
He also promised not to whitewash the characters should he get the gig. A lot of anime fans have long been disappointed with Hollywood for casting white actors in historically non-white character roles. "Ghost in the Shell," for example, was plagued with criticisms ever since Scarlett Johansson was announced as the lead actress.
In 2011, there were reports that Warner Bros. was eyeing a bunch of white actors to lead its "Akira" live-action adaptation. Per Comic Book, included on the shortlist were Chris Pine, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, and even Justin Timberlake.
Thankfully, Waititi knows better, and he certainly is not down to going in such direction. He assured that the only way to do it is to cast unknown Asian teenagers with "unfound, untapped talent."
Warner Bros. has made multiple attempts since 2001 to adapt the Japanese classic. Prior to Waititi, the studio tapped filmmakers like George Miller, Stephen Norrington, Jaume Collet-Serra, and, more recently, Jordan Peele, to no avail.
