Hughes Brothers to Direct Live-Action AKIRA??

It looks like Warner Bros. liked what they got out of The Hughes Brothers' in The Book of Eli, because the studio is negotiating with the duo to bring a live-action Akira to the big screen. The script is being tackled by Iron Man writers, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. The project has been in something of a development hell ever since the project was first proposed, even at one point being declared completely dead. Then Leonardo Dicaprio's production company, Appian Way, seemingly revived the project. Now it's completely full steam ahead.

Akira is based on the 1982 manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo, a massive 2000 page story about a government experiment that turns a biker into a telekinetic powerhouse. His gang, including his best friend, attempt to rescue him once the project starts messing with his mind. The massive story was whittled down to a 1988 anime film, which has become nearly as beloved as the graphic novel.

Reducing Akira's story down to one feature length film is nearly an impossible task, which is why the plan is to divide it into two films, each one encompassing three volumes. The tentative plan is to have the first film release some time in 2011.

I've always been big fans of The Hughes Brothers, going back to Menace II Society. They've shown that they can pretty much handle any subject matter they put their minds to. The Book of Eli, while not perfect, could be a model for what we could be seeing out of Akira if the two snag the gig. The most important thing is going to be casting. Unlike some other people, I believe the possibility of Dicaprio playing a major role in the film is still a possibility, especially after the two worked so effectively with another A-lister like Denzel Washington.

You can read more of Vulture's coverage of the story here.