Summary
Taika Waititi’s next movie will see the director tackle a dystopian world, making it the perfect replacement for his live-actionAkirafilm that has been in development for several years now.Hollywood’s live-action anime adaptationsdo not have a great track, with only a couple of movies and TV shows living up to their respective source materials.One Pieceseason 1recently proved that there can be faithful adaptations that bring something new but respect the original story, which is essential for anAkiramovie to work. However, adapting the iconic Japanese movie into a Hollywood feature is very difficult.
Katsuhiro Otomo wrote theAkiramanga and also helmed the anime movieadaptation, both of which became classics of the genre and are among the most influential works of science fiction of all time. A very dense story with instant classic visuals,Akirais a genre-bending tale that has inspired countless artists since the 1980s. Given how intrinsically tied to Japan’s history, particularly World War II,Akirais, it’s difficult to imagine what an English-language adaptation would be like. Regardless,Hollywood has tried making anAkiramovie happenfor two decades, with Taika Waititi being the latest director attached to it.
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Klara & The Sun Could Be The Closest We’ll Get To Taika Waititi’s Akira Movie
Waititi’s Klara & The Sun Is Based On A Dystopian Sci-Fi Novel
As the status ofTaika Waititi’sAkiramovieremains unclear,Klara and the Sunmay be the closest we will get to his version of the iconic anime movie. LikeAkira,Klara and the Sunis a sci-fi story set in a dystopian future.The similarities do not end there, asKlara and the Sunalso feature special children and deal with the idea of genetic enhancement. Waititi’sKlara and the Sunfilm is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, which tells the story of a sick child whose companion is an artificial being called Klara.
Klara and the Sun’s Cast
Josie’s father
Harry Greenwood
TBC
TheKlara and the Sunnovel is told from the perspective of Klara, one of many Artificial Friends that exist in this dystopian future. Mia Tharia will play Josie, the child, with Jenna Ortega starring as Klara. Amy Adams will play Josie’s mother, Chrissie.Klara and the Sunuses its dystopian backdrop to tell a compelling story about its titular character, who, as an artificial being, is still learning about how the world works. From the setting to some of the themes,Klara and the Suncan give a taste of what Waititi’sAkirafilm would look like.
Taika Waititi Is Still Attached To The Live-Action Akira Movie (Technically)
Waititi Officially Joined The Akira Movie In 2019
Taika Waititi had been rumored to direct theAkiramovie since September 2017, around the same time as the critically acclaimedThor: Ragnarokpremiered. The filmmaker was confirmed as the director ofAkirain May 2019, with the film expected to be released in 2021. However, later in 2019, Waititi was confirmed to directThor: Love and Thunderfor Marvel Studios.TheAkirafilm was put on hold, and not many updates on the project have been provided ever since. However, Taika Waititi is still officially attached to the project.
Klara And The Sundoesn’t have a release date yet.
The director has commented on theAkirafilm a couple of times, and in 2023, he confirmed that he is still attached to the live-action adaptation.Waititi’s career has only gotten bigger since he was first rumored to directAkira, with the success ofThor: Ragnarokpositioning him as one of the busiest filmmakers in Hollywood. He is also attached to anuntitledStar Warsmovie, which has been in development for a while and may have also played a role in the delay ofAkira. Waititi is currently working onKlara and the Sun.
Akira’s 22 Years Of Development Hell Explained
Akira Has Become The Definition Of Development Hell
Regardless of whether Taika Waititi’sAkiramovie will happen at some point, the film has been in development hell for over 20 years now.A live-actionAkiraadaptation has taken many shapes and formssince Sony bought the rights to the original manga shortly after the release of the anime film in 1998. Sony’sAkiramovie never happened, with Warner Bros. buying the rights in the early 2000s. Since then, multiple writers and directors have been attached to the project. The list includes Stephen Norrington, Ruairí Robinson, Albert Hughes, and Jaume Collet-Serra.
Akirahas become a textbook example of what it means for a Hollywood movie to be in development hell (…)
Before Taika Waititi was brought into the project, Jordan Peele was asked to direct theAkiramovie but declined. A few years earlier, George Miller also refused to helm the live-action adaptation.Akirahas become a textbook example of what it means for a Hollywood movie to be in development hell, to the point I’m not sure if the movie will ever happen. Waititi has shown he can make inspired adaptations of preexisting work, but the director is also busy with plenty of other projects. IfAkira’s live-action ever happens, it will hopefully make the wait worth it.
Cast
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
