The US live action remake of Akira hits a major stumbling block, and might be just weeks away from the axe...
It’s not been the most popular project ever since it was first announced. But it looks like the live action Hollywood remake of Akira might just be in quite a bit of trouble, as Warner Bros has applied the brakes to the project.
Unsurprisingly, the film’s budget is the culprit here. Warner Bros has ordered the project be put on pause, with The Hollywood Reporter saying that the film’s production offers are being shut down. It means that a small bunch of people, including director Jaume Collet-Serra, have got a fortnight to knock the project into some kind of shape.
The strong implication here is that if further cost savings can’t be made – and a lot of trimming has already been done – then the live action take on Akira won’t be pressing ahead. The target budget now is in the $60-70m range, which sounds just a little bit ambitious, given the source material.
It feels as though Akira has been in development hell for a long time now, and this looks like the best chance of getting the film moving. If it springs back to life, as many of you don’t want it to, we’ll let you know…
The Hollywood Reporter
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