The live-action version of classic manga and anime Akira is one of those white whales that Hollywood – primarily Warner Bros. – has been hunting for years, burning through writers, casting choices and potential directors but never quite made it into production. Seeking a fresh start, the studio is now in negotiations with Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi.

While the director of Hunt For The Wilderpeople seems like an odd choice for Akira, eyebrows were raised when he took on the latest Thor movie, and that appears to be turning out just fine. And though Akira seems like an even darker story, with its dystopian techno-horror themes and grand-scale action, Waititi has proved that he knows how to dig for the humanity of movies big and small. He'll need it for the tale of Tetsuo, whose government experiment-boosted psychic powers threaten everything, and best pal Kaneda, the biker who has to find a way to help him.

According to Deadline, the plan is still officially to make two movies, which would each adapt three books from Katsuhiro Otomo’s six-volume graphic novel. In its long, painful development history, Akira has attracted the likes of Steve Kloves, Keanu Reeves, Albert Hughes, Jaume Collet-Serra, Dane DeHaan, Michael Pitt and Ruairi Robinson. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way company remains attached to produce, and now we start waiting again to see if it actually happens this time.

Waititi, meanwhile, is looking smaller for his next projects, including World War II dramadey Jojo Rabbit and animated pic Bubbles. As for Thor: Ragnarok, that arrives on 24 October in the UK.

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