One of the most difficult films to get made over the past few decades has been a live-action version of the groundbreaking Japanese manga, “Akira.” Over the years, plenty of actors and directors have been signed on and eventually departed the project. One of the most recent big pushes to get it made was with Jordan Peele as the filmmaker, but that obviously didn’t come to fruition. And speaking about the project now, Peele is happy he didn’t actually get to make “Akira.”
In a recent episode of the Happy. Sad. Confused. podcast, Jordan Peele was asked about his time working on the “Akira” live-action film. For those unaware, “Akira” tells the story of a young teen in Neo-Tokyo (a rebuilt Tokyo after a major bombing) who discovers that he might have some supernatural abilities. The story continues with the young boy’s friend, as he tries to figure out what is happening and how the government is involved. It’s an epic story that would easily require a $200 million budget to bring it to life in live-action, which is clearly one of the reasons why it’s been a difficult film to get greenlit.
“It’s a project I’m so passionate about,” Peele explained. “I’m glad I didn’t do it because I feel like staying away from that, trying to interpret that IP just set me on the path to create something new. But I want to see Neo-Tokyo. I want to see an all-Japanese cast. I want to feel immersed in the world, the way of the film and the manga.”
READ MORE: Jordan Peele Talks Turning Down ‘Akira’
The all-Japanese cast thing is one of the discussions that has surrounded the film in more recent years. Originally, when it was being shopped around as a film years ago, there were folks like Leonardo DiCaprio, Andrew Garfield, and Robert Pattinson were all rumored to be circling roles in the various versions of the film. Now, with more emphasis on not whitewashing and actually casting Asian actors for the roles, it’s unclear who might star in an eventual film. But it’s important for fans now to see characters such as Tetsuo and Kaneda played by culturally appropriate performers.
Obviously, the idea of an “Akira” film is still very much in the future, as there isn’t anyone attached to direct as of now. That said, it’s clear that Jordan Peele would like to still see it happen, even if he isn’t the filmmaker to bring it to life.
You can watch the full interview below (the “Akira” comments are at the very end):
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