The post-Endgame MCU is looking better and better with the recent announcement that Taika Waititi will return direct Thor 4 for Marvel Studios. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report that the director will return to the MCU to write and direct the thunder god’s next adventure.
Image Via The Wrap
Unfortunately, this also means that Waititi’s adaptation of Akira will be put on hold. The live action adaptation of the popular anime was set to begin production soon, but rumors were circulating that issues with the script were delaying production.
Image Via The Verge
Now, it looks like the project has been put on hold indefinitely until Waititi is done with the latest entry in the Thor franchise.
There is still no official announcement about the fourth Thor film from Marvel Studios or any other projects within the MCU (with the exception of a Black Widow) film, but with Comic-Con coming up, we should expect some more news on both films in the coming weeks.
Are you excited for Thor 4? Are you upset about the Akira adaptation?
Taika Waititi’s adaptation of the classic manga, Akira, is set to open May 21st, 2021, but we’re going to get so much Akira beforehand that’s it going to be staggering.
Image Via The Verge
You might want to sit down for this one because I’m about to spew a lot of words and lot of information is bout get to thrown in your face like a baseball. Ready? Okay, let’s go!
First, let’s build a foundation.
Image Via Anime News Network
Set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, Akira is a cyberpunk story revolves around teenage biker gang leader Kaneda, militant revolutionary Kei, a trio of Espers, and Neo-Tokyo’s military leader Colonel Shikishima to prevent Tetsuo, Kaneda’s mentally-imbalanced childhood friend, from using his unstable telekinetic abilities to ravage the city and awaken a mysterious individual with similar psychic abilities named “Akira”.
Initially serialized in the pages of Young Magazine from 1982 until 1990, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira was collected into six volumes by its publisher Kodansha before Marvel Comics published the book in the United States under their Epic Comics imprint, becoming one of the first manga works to be translated in its entirety into English.
Now, The Verge is reporting that this “groundbreaking 1988 science fiction film Akira is getting a 4K remaster next year”. This remaster will launch in Japan on April 24th, 2020. While it’s still unknown when this remaster will arrive in the US of A, you can still enjoy the 2001 DVD release and the 2009 Blu-Ray release.
That’s number one, and it’s about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Image Via Greek Tyrant
The second bit of news is that Digital Spyreports that the Akira is getting a TV series adaptation.
Engagetdetails this, writing that “Sunrise Inc. is producing a new project based on Akira that is supposed to be a continuation of the classic series, although there weren’t many details announced about it.”
You got that, right? We’re getting a 4K remaster of the original anime film, plus a continuation of that original film.
In addition, Taika Waititi’s film adaptation of the original manage is still on the go ahead. With a release date of May 21st, 202, we’re expecting information soon!
All in all we’re getting a 4K remaster of the original film, a continuation of the original film, and a live action film based on the mange the original film is based on. Got that?
Image Via Variety
Oh yeah, Katsuhiro Otomo is directing a new work called Orbital Era about young boys living in a space colony as it’s being built.
The trailer is available below:
Excited for any of this news? Or were you expecting more Akira?
Taika Waititi’s adaptation of the classic manga, Akira, is set to open May 21st, 2021.
Image Via Mycomicshop.com
Set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, this cyberpunk story revolves around teenage biker gang leader Kaneda, militant revolutionary Kei, a trio of Espers, and Neo-Tokyo’s military leader Colonel Shikishima to prevent Tetsuo, Kaneda’s mentally-imbalanced childhood friend, from using his unstable telekinetic abilities to ravage the city and awaken a mysterious individual with similar psychic abilities named “Akira”.
Initially serialized in the pages of Young Magazine from 1982 until 1990, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akirawas collected into six volumes by its publisher Kodansha before Marvel Comics published the book in the United States under their Epic Comics imprint, becoming one of the first manga works to be translated in its entirety into English.
The film paved the way for Japanese popular culture to influence Western culture from animation to comics to film to music to television to video games.
Perhaps it was only inevitable that a live-action adaptation would be made. According to Hollywood Reporter, the film has been in development hell. “Back in 2012, a version that would have starred Garrett Hedlund was shelved, with various filmmakers coming and going on the project that would have been an Americanized version of the story.”
Now Leonardo DiCaprio and Andrew Lazar, through DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, are producing the film with Taika Waititi as director, who “is expected to go a more authentic route, stating back in 2017 that he would want to cast Asian actors in the roles.”
Image Via Stuff.co.nz
Taika Waititi is known for his Academy Award nominated short film Two Cars, One Night and his masterpieces Boyand Hunt for the Wilderpeople, as well as this little film called Thor: Ragnarok.
Back in 2017, when Thor: Ragnarok was in full swing, Taika Waititi told IGN:
“Yeah. actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent.”
He also told them that:
I actually love the books. Love the movie, but I would not do a remake of the movie. I would do an adaptation of the books
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