The Hughes Brothers, recently of Book of Eli fame, are negotiating with the WB to take control of the live action adaptation of Akira. According to Filmonic, "much of the second half of the manga was removed from the 1988 film in order to keep the running time decent, and so the Hughes Brothers’ adaptation will be split into two films, each based on three of the six manga volumes." Which is cool, because it means it can expand upon the already existing anime adaptation.
Amazon describes the manga thusly:
Akira is a post-apocalyptic saga, set in the remains of Neo-Tokyo, charting the coming of the creature known only as Akira, a power both feared and prized for its potential to shake the recovering world. Caught in a power play between factions of a brutal military organisation, Kaneda - young, restless, committed to defying authority - and Ryu, the leader of an underground movement, are pulled into an escalating nightmare, built around a group of psychically powered children.
The Hughes Brothers already have some experience adapting sequential art, having brought Alan Moore's graphic novel From Hell to the big screen.
Here's a trailer for the anime version:
And here's an anime fan's worst nightmare:
So what do you think of this development? Good choice or bad?
Source:
Filmonic
September 28, 2008, 05:36:32 AM
