Aggghhh. Sorry, Akira fans. Warner Brothers still seems hell-bent on making this live-action Akira adaptation thing happen, despite the fact that every fan of the original manga and movie seems to think it's an awful idea. Jaume Collet-Serra is reportedly in discussion to direct: Jaume Collet-Serra Returns to Direct 'Akira.'
Collet-Serra was going full-steam ahead with his whitewashed adaptation of the beloved Japanese classic, before production was stalled in early 2012. This version was going to star a mostly-white cast and transplanted the story's post-apocalyptic Japanese setting to "New Manhattan." So yes, hardcore fans breathed a sigh of relief when the project hit the brakes.
But dammit, it looks like the studio is not letting this go:
In early 2012, the studio shut down pre-production so that fixes could be made to the script, including tightening the budget from its original $90 million range. At the time, Collet-Serra was in such high demand coming off the recent success of the Liam Neeson action pic “Unknown,” that he decided to leave instead of waiting for the changes to be made so that he could pursue other projects. He eventually landed another Neeson pic, “Non Stop,” which bows next February.Apparently, the plan is to get things started back up in spring 2014. Prepare to get angry all over again, anime fans: Remember That 'Akira' Remake? Well, It's Back On With Jaume Collet-Serra Returning To Direct.
The studio did begin looking at other directors recently, including “Catfish” helmers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, in hopes of finding someone who could deliver a film on a more smaller scale. But ultimately, the studio was still in love with Collet-Serra’s vision, and sources say the director found time in his schedule as well as a new way to appraoch the adaptation that would meet the studio’s budget request.