Why? Why will this project not die? Why do they insist on trying to make a whitewashed live-action remake of Akira? The on-again, off-again project has been a train wreck from the start. And based on the would-be director's recent comments, this thing should never get made. It deserves to die by atomic fire.
Director Of Aborted White 'AKIRA' Remake Still Determined To Make It Despite Lack Of 'Strong Characters' In Japanese Culture
While doing press for his latest film Non-Stop, director Jaume Collet-Serra was asked about the state of the Akira remake. When pressed on his take on the source material, he wasn't particularly reverent, calling the characters uninteresting. Why? "That's part of the Japanese culture, they never have strong characters."
And this guy wants to adapt one of the most influential pieces of Japanese pop culture ever?
Coming Soon: ...if you were going to do it in live-action one would hope you would bring something new to the table. What is it you are bringing specifically that is going to make it yours?Collet-Serra is apparently still determined to make this thing happen. What is the point?
Collet-Serra: I hope that I can bring strong characters. In the original source material, I don’t think the main characters are the protagonists. What I’m hoping is to bring characters.
...Nobody’s interesting. Tetsuo's interesting because weird sh*t happens to him, and Kaneda is so two-dimensional. That’s part of the Japanese culture, they never have strong characters. They’re used as a way to move the other philosophy forward.
More here: Exclusive: Director Jaume Collet-Serra Dishes His Vision for Akira