Earlier today, Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo hosted a panel at Anime Expo. During the event, the director announced that a new Akira anime film is in the works. The project will be produced by Sunrise, though no other details have been confirmed as of press time.
According to Evan Minto, the film is “not a sequel”, and that the staff “want[s] to make use of more of the content from the manga, but they’re apparently still figuring out exactly what they want to make.”
In addition, Otomo announced that the original Akira anime film will get a 4K remaster, which will hit Japanese theaters in 2020. The release will hit North America at a later date, though details have not been confirmed as of press time.
Akira is a landmark anime film based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga of the same name. The 1988 picture was directed by Otomo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Izô Hashimoto (Sukeban Deka live-action). Takashi Nakamura (Tetsujin 28: Morning Moon of Midday) provided character designs for the feature.
Funimation currently distributes the feature in North America. They describe it as:
Clandestine army activities threaten the war-torn city of Neo-Tokyo when a mysterious being with powerful psychic abilities escapes his prison and inadvertently draws a violent motorcycle gang into a heinous web of experimentation. As a result, a biker with a twisted mind embarks on a path of war, seeking revenge against a society that once called him weak.
Since its release, Akira has been cited as an influence on numerous prominent cyberpunk works inside and beyond the anime sphere, including Battle Angel Alita, Ghost in the Shell, The Matrix, Snatcher, and Final Fantasy VII.
A Hollywood live-action film based on the property is currently in the works, and on track for a 2021 premiere. Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) is slated to direct, while Warner Bros and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production company produce.
Sources: ComicBook.com, Twitter (VamptVo)
Akira Gets New Anime Film Project by Sunrise – Samantha Ferreira
