Could Akira Work as a Live Action Adaptation?

Akira the Anime is great. There is no question about it. The stylized animation and its dynamic use of shadows just brings the world to life. All the destruction and violence shown on screen is more than just entertainment. Each frame carries a great amount of detail that adds texture to the film and the world. Not to mention the iconic Akira bike looks amazing in the film. The way that the bike looks and moves on the road makes it a force to recon with when it enters the screen. The film as a whole is an iconic piece of art that will go down in history as a classis. 

Now in 2017 it was announced that director Taika Waititi will be translating Akira into live action film for Warner Brothers. Waititi for the most part has worked on small indie projects like Boy, one of my favorite films. He has also directed Hunt for the Wilderpeopleand What we do in the Shadows, among other films. Most recently he capped off the Thor trilogy with Thor Ragnarok, a colorful action superhero/comedy film that I also loved. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of this guy. 

Now there is two questions that need to be addressed, should this be made? (the live action Akira) and is he the right person. 

First, no this film does not need to be made. Why because the original anime is fine as it is and does not need to be remade into live action. Now not because it shouldn’t be made does it mean that it will stop the studios from making it either way. So now, Is Taika Waititi the right man for the job? Yes and no. Lets start with the negative. Most of his successful films have been low budget indie films that focus a lot on charter. His first big budget film Was Thor and it seems like the transition from indie to big budget went smoothly. But he is still a very unproven director at this scale. In Thor, its said that he focused more in the characters and their development and arcs and left the big action scenes to the production team. So if he moves forward with this he is going to have to rally grow as a film maker and get more comfortable with action. 

Now I do see him as a good choice for the task because he is genuinely great director. He seems to genuinely try to create good material and not just cash in a pay check. In interviews he has stated that he respects the original anime and doesn’t want to recreate it. Instead he wants his films to focus more on the books. He currently is trying to get them to work in a more condense way so that it can be easier for people to understand with out needing to create a five hour movie. 

So while I don’t believe this is something that does not need to be made, and the track record of Hollywood live action adaptations of amines is horrible at best. I do believe that Taika Waititi is the right man to break that seal.