Taika Waititi has confirmed that his commitment to Marvel’s Jojo Rabbit this week. Plus, he helped direct and acted in the Star Wars TV Show The Mandalorian. So unsurprisingly, Waititi is a hot property with people vying for his services, and unfortunately, that means other films like his live-action Akira are experiencing delays.
Originally a manga series, Akira was made into an animated film in 1988; it's a story set in a post-apocalyptic future, revolving around the leader of a biker gang whose friend develops telekinetic powers. Warner Bros. has been trying to make the Warner Bros. to removing Akira from its release slate, giving The Matrix 4 the date instead. Now, Waititi has officially confirmed his Marvel project is indeed the reason for Akira's most recent delay.
In an interview with Variety, the status of the live-action Akira came up, and Waititi said: “The whole thing went on hold.” According to the director, dates kept getting pushed, and “it encroached on the Thor dates, which were immovable.” So the project “ended up shifting two years down the track.” When asked if audiences can expect him to jump on that film after Thor, Waititi replied with his signature sense of humor, “I don’t know what I’m doing in f—ing two days.” However, he did state the film will happen, “I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it.”
Considering the release date of Thor 4, it was quite clear it was a big reason another delay hit Akira. Also, considering Akira has been in development for over a decade at Warner Bros., it’s not a promising sign for the project, that yet again we’re uncertain when we can expect a live-action Akira in theaters. Interestingly, Waititi also raises some eyebrows with his status as the director, claiming he’s “not sure” if he will be doing it. Perhaps because of the length of the delay, Waititi does not want to assure Akira fans once again that he will direct the film.
It’s a bittersweet situation when it comes to Akira, because few will complain about Waititi ing forces with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman for Thor, but the prospect of seeing what the Ragnarok director could have done with a story like Akira was very exciting for fans of the manga series. Waititi’s next movie is Next Goal Wins, which he expects to release at "the end of the year," and after that, he will return to the MCU for Thor: Love and Thunder. However, we will, unfortunately, have to wait and see what the future holds for Akira.
Source: Variety
