After the ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ director’s untitled film was notably absent at last week’s Star Wars Celebration, Deadline reporter Justin Kroll posits the adaptation of the ‘best anime of all time’ is next on the docket.
Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars film was notably absent at last week’s Star Wars Celebration held in London, and rumor has it the project has been shelved so the Thor: Love and Thunder director can focus on a live-action adaptation of Akira. Waititi’s involvement was first announced on Deadline in 2017. Deadline reporter Justin Kroll took to Twitter to air his suspicions, also noting Akira was never abandoned and that the “script should be into studio soon.”
Read Kroll’s entire Tweet and updates below:
Since everyone is wondering where his STAR WARS film is, if I were a betting man my guess is Taika’s next movie is his AKIRA movie at WB, which he put on shelf to do L&T. He never left the film and word is script should be into studio soon.
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) April 8, 2023
The shelved adaptation was being developed the Warner Bros. banner with an original release date of May 21, 2021, but was put on ice so Waititi could focus on Love and Thunder. Keanu Reeves was previously linked to the role of lead character Kaneda in 2011, but production halted soon after the Matrix and John Wick actor passed on the film.
The original plot of Akira, largely considered the best anime film of all time, follows Kaneda, a young member of a biker gang, as he survives in Neo-Tokyo (Tokyo was destroyed in 1988). A government project experiments with telekinetic children, increasing their power, and when fellow gang member Tetsuo encounters a telekinetic, he gains power he soon cannot control.
As Kroll later states, “nothing is set in stone,” and the film still must be greenlit. However, crossing fingers we get an update soon.
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