'Akira': Release date, cast, plot and everything you need to know about the live-action Manga hero feature
Akira, the manga-adapted anime cartoon has seen quite a bit of hurdles after it was announced that the feature would be made into a live-action movie. One of the most stylish cyberpunk series to date, the Japanese pop-culture standout has finally got a move on. Here's what we know about the movie development so far:
Release date
The rights were purchased by Warner Bros back in 2002, and updates were pretty much sporadic. But the latest update by Den of Geek states that the movie will hit the screens on May 21, 2021. The flick, however, will face stiff competition from a heavyweight movie that is slated to release the same day. Keanu Reeve's action-blockbuster 'John Wick: Chapter 4' will clash with 'Akira' and the tussle will make for an interesting challenge in the box office.
Plot
'Akira's story is set in post-apocalyptic 2019 in Tokyo and tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, a local bike gang leader, whose childhood pal, Tetsuo Shima, acquires powers of telekinesis after a bike accident, attracting the attention of a secret government project directed by Japan Self-Defense Forces. In the case of the movie, the Americanized version will see Manhattan as the city where the events take place. But this theory was a decade back and things are sure to change.
Cast
When the movie was announced a decade ago, the forerunners to play Tetsuo were either Dane DeHaan ('The Amazing Spider-Man 2') or Michael Pitt ('Boardwalk Empire') in the lead role of Tetsuo, while Garrett Hedlund ('Tron Legacy'), Kristin Stewart ('The Twilight Saga'), Ken Watanabe ('The Last Samurai'), and Helena Bonham Carter ('Fight Club') were roped in as the other cast members. But with the project set to be an Asian origin, it remains to be seen if the cast will be replaced with Asian actors to lend more authenticity to the storyline. If this move sticks, then the storyline may be more on the lines of Neo-Tokyo and not Manhattan.
Writer/Director
'Thor: Ragnarok' director Taika Waititi was roped in to helm the project as reported by Deadline, but before Akira, the writer-cum-director has a quite a few assignments that are due in the next few months, including 'The Mandalorian', a Star Wars Universe TV show on Disney + along with October's World War II comedy-drama 'Jojo Rabbit'. Leonardo DiCaprio will produce the film through his production house, Appian Way along with Andrew Lazar.
Trailer
With the movie set to release in 2021, there's still enough time for the trailer to drop by. But we'll keep you posted with the updates. Watch this space for more updates on 'Akira'.
If you are looking forward to 'Akira', then these might be right up your alley:
'Dragon Ball Z'
'Speed Racer'
'Assassination Classroom'
'Death Note'
'Matrix'
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