Warner Bros. controls the rights to make a live-action version of iconic anime film/manga series Akira, and the studio is clearly getting so desperate to do something with those rights that it seems to just be throwing the project at any cool filmmaker with some buzz in hopes of getting them to direct it. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. offered Akira to Jordan Peele (who was fresh off of the success of Get Out), but he turned it down because he’d rather do more original films. Now, Deadline says that Warner Bros. has moved on to Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi.
We don’t have a whole lot of details, but Waititi is apparently in negotiations with the studio already. That means this is at least a little more than a rumor, so there’s a chance the live-action Akira movie might actually happen this time. Unfortunately, Deadline’s description of the plot says it takes place in “New Manhattan” and that it’s about a biker who “saves his friend from a medical experiment,” so maybe it’ll be better if this keeps gathering dust on Warner Bros.’ shelf.