Warner Bros. has lost the rights to adapt Katsuhiro Otomo’s legendary anime and manga Akira after over two decades of failed attempts.
Warner Bros. has officially lost rights to adapt the classic Japanese manga and anime Akira into a live-action movie after over 20 years of failed attempts. The rights were first acquired by the studio in 2002 and are now back with Japanese publisher Kodansha, effectively ending Hollywood’s longest-running and most troubled adaptation efforts.
The studio’s refusal to offer renewal rights for adaptation signals an end to this project, which had been slowed down by multiple delays, notable changes in directors, creative differences between writers and the director who were all involved, and budgetary constraints.
Warner Bros had interest from some of the most heavyweight filmmakers across the years, but never delivered the popular sci-fi dystopia to the screens.
After acquiring the rights, Warner Bros. has tried to develop the live-action version at least three times.
At one time, directors Stephen Norrington (Blade), Hughes Brothers (The Book of Eli), and Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise) were all attached to the project, but later dropped out, in each case for creative differences, money, or lack of commitment from the Studio caused the projects to fall apart.
By 2017, acclaimed director Taika Waititi from New Zealand was officially signed on to direct and co-write the adaptation. Waititi wanted to honour the original manga with a Japanese cast and more meaningful cultural ties to the manga.
‘ The project was thrown indefinitely into limbo when Waititi began working on Thor: Love and Thunder, with the expected release date in 2021 that had now passed.
As of June 2025, Warner Bros. decided to decline renewal, and with it, their association with the adaptation officially ceased.
A live-action Akira posed numerous creative and cultural challenges. The original manga was written and drawn by Katsuhiro Otomo between 1982 and 1990, and places the story in a futuristic Neo-Tokyo and deals with complex themes like political corruption, war trauma, rebellion, and psychic power.
The project was not only limited in the way it could adapt culturally, but it also had budget constraints. According to Warner Bros, the budget was capped at $90 million, which was notoriously low for recreating the hi-tech future mega-world depicted in Akira.
The project also struggled with budget limitations. According to Warner Bros, the budget was capped at $90 million, which was notoriously low for recreating the hi-tech future mega-world depicted in Akira.
With the rights now back in Kodansha’s hands, the Tokyo-based publisher is reportedly seeking new partners. Sources within the industry have indicated that the interest from streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+ to get back on the front lines of a new adaptation could be high, particularly with the rising demand for anime-based content worldwide.
Kodansha is likely to be receptive to pitches from Japanese studios as well as independent studios outside of Japan. And there is also a chance that a return may be animated, or a Japanese live-action version could be a consideration.
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