A live-action Hollywood version of the classic anime film Akira has been in the works for many years, but to date the movie has never moved past the development stage. Now Den of Geek has reported that the project may be happening once more, with Interstellar director Christopher Nolan involved.
The US rights to an adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's 1989 film--itself based on his groundbreaking manga series--are owned by Warner Bros, and Den of Geek's sources have revealed that the studio is now planning a trilogy of Akira movies.
Nolan has reportedly met with a director who was previously attached to the project. Whether Nolan is being looked at to direct any of the three films, or just produce, is not known. But with three Batman movies and production duties on Man of Steel behind him, he is no stranger to comic book adaptations. Last week it was confirmed that his next film as director would see a July 2017 release.
This is the latest in a long line of attempts to bring Otomo's epic cyberpunk story to the big screen. In 2013, Variety reported that French director Jaume Collet-Serra was being primed to direct an adaptation, while a year earlier the film reached pre-production stage before the Vancouver productions offices were shut down by the studio.
The manga of Akira ran between 1982 and 1990, and is widely credited for popularising Japanese comic books internationally. Equally, the success of Otomo's animated version did much to introduce Western viewers to anime, and is now considered one of the finest sci-fi films ever made.
Subject: Live-Action Akira Movie May Become Trilogy, Christopher Nolan Involved 
