TheAkiralive-action adaptation may end up as a TV show as opposed to a movie, as previously thought.Hollywood’s live-action anime adaptationsdon’t have the best track record, so all eyes will be on the production of such a massive franchise. Penned by Japanese author Katsuhiro Otomo, theAkiramanga was serialized biweekly inYoung Magazinebetween 1982 and 1990. This incredible manga was hugely influential and resulted in the equally important anime movie released in 1988. A live-action adaptation has been discussed for years, but may yet add a TV show to the mix.
Manydifferent versions ofAkiraadaptations have been contemplatedsince the release of the 1988 movie, but none have yet crossed the line into production.Taika Waititi is the director most recently attached to a newAkiraadaptation,which is looking to be live-action. While the possibility of Waititi helmingAkirais hugely exciting, there has been no news on this project for a while. Yet certain confirmed details about the project make a direction for it clear. The nextAkiraadaptation should probably seek TV as an outlet as it may adapt the original source material.
Taika Waititi Wants To Adapt Akira The Manga, Not The Anime Movie
The Next Akira Adaptation Could Tackle The Whole Manga
Taika Waititi wants to adapt theAkiracomicsrather than the previous anime movie, which means that a TV adaptation may be the best way forward.TheAkiramanga is very long, whereas the anime is one feature-length movie. There is no definitive standard for live-action anime adaptations in terms of looking to the manga or anime for inspiration. Normally, live-action adaptations take both into consideration and use them as inspiration for a whole new enterprise. However, if Waititi sets out to adapt the manga, a TV show would allow him to explore it at length.
Taika Waititi’s Upcoming Sci-Fi Is His Best Akira Replacement After 2 Decades Of Development Hell
Taika Waititi’s upcoming dystopian sci-fi movie can offer a glimpse of what his Akira film, which has been on hold for years now, would look like.
If Waititi was interested intransforming 1988’sAkiramovie into a live-action feature, a movie would be perfect for him. TheAkirapicture already did the hard work of condensing a serialized seinen manga into a movie of 124 minutes, creating the perfect blueprint for studios and directors to form a live-action script. This would be the easy thing to do, but Waititi isn’t known for taking the easy way out.Waititi seems interested in creating a more faithful examination of Otomo’s original comics, taking an entirely original approach that would benefit from the TV format.
There’s No Way The Entire Akira Manga Can Work As A Movie (Even With Sequels)
The Akira Manga Is Too Long For A Movie
Akirawas published over many years, so a TV show would suit a live-action adaptation far better than a feature-length movie. The nature of a serialized comic falls in line with the natural rhythm of a TV show, which is also serialized.Waititi was reportedly still working onAkirain 2023, despite the absence of a concrete development, so he may be considering this more as time goes on. A movie may seem like the obvious choice, since the anime took this approach, and it is much easier. However, a TV show opens up many more doors.
TheAkiraanime movie was produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō.
It was wise for the anime movie not to bother tackling the entire manga and do a shorter version instead, as it opened the public up to Otomo’s beloved manga. This brief and consumable introduction to the story helped to launchAkiraon a global scale. However,Akirais now widely acknowledged as a genre classic and one of Japan’s most powerful stories.It is time forAkirato get a longer formatto tell its original story, which is why it may well be the case thatanAkiralive-action movie should not be made.
Akira’s Manga Is Perfect For A 6-Season Live-Action TV Show Adaptation
A Live-Action TV Show Is The Perfect Next Step For Akira
TheAkiramanga is the perfect source material for a long TV show, which could consist of about six seasons. This franchise has experienced stunted growth, with a live-action adaptation stuck in development hell for over 20 years.A TV adaptation presentsAkirawith a starkly new opportunityand could help kick-start the project again. With movies having been debated at length, it may be time for a bold filmmaker like Waititi to inject some original ideas into the discussion. A long TV show could revive the genre completely, which has seen interest in recent years.
A TV show could settle intoAkira’sfoundational graphic inspiration, exploring the manga’s dark breadth.
Akirahas a unique post-apocalyptic atmosphere, having pioneered cyberpunk stories. Its influence is felt deeply in Japanese manga, anime, and cinema, as well as the wider world. WithoutAkira,GodzillaandThe Matrixwould both be incredibly different franchises. A TV show could also settle intoAkira’s foundational graphic inspiration, exploring the manga’s dark breadth and allowing the world a glimpse into what made it so beautiful. With a longer runtime,anAkiralive-action adaptation has the chance to putAkiraback at the front of sci-fi, which it led in the 1980s.
8 Upcoming Taika Waititi Movies Explained
Brilliant director and actor Taika Waititi has several new upcoming projects that are sure to delight fans and Hollywood critics alike.
Waititi may be New Zealand’s most renowned filmmaker, and if anyone was well-positioned to handle this mammoth project, it would be him. With Waititi explicitly confirming that he is interested in looking toAkira’s long-running manga for source material,Akirafans have reason to hope that he may take the franchise the TV route. The world has never been more ready for such an undertaking, although it could seem daunting. Yet shows likeArcaneandLove, Death, & Robotson Netflix demonstrate the potential of a new cyberpunk series, whichAkirashould become.
Cast
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
