Live Action 'Akira' Movie Has Been Removed From Warner Bros.' Release Schedule (UPDATE)

UPDATE (December 12, 2019): Despite director Taika Waititi’s previous comments about the live action Akira film still happening, it appears that the adaptation may not be going ahead after all. The movie was originally slated for release May 21, 2021, but in a new round of announcements from Warner Bros. regarding its upcoming film release schedule, Akira has been completely removed from the list, replaced instead by The Matrix 4. There’s no official news yet from either Warner Bros. or Waititi about the ultimate fate of the film — whether it’s completely cancelled or just delayed further — so fans of the franchise should definitely stay tuned as more news surfaces.

ORIGINAL STORY (October 21, 2019): In a recent interview promoting Jojo Rabbit, famed director Taika Waititi reassured fans that despite significant delays, the live action Akira film is still happening.

Explaining what happened, Waititi said that the team was “working really hard on the script,” which led to shooting being pushed back multiple times. Eventually, it was pushed back a little too much and started eating into Thor: Love and Thunder‘s schedule, and so now the team has decided to movie production to the tail end of the upcoming fourth installment of Thor. Despite these delays, the director reassured fans that “we’re still gonna make it.”

Originally slated for release on May 21, 2021, production for the Akira film was meant to begin this fall. However, Warner Bros. Pictures announced earlier in July that the film had been delayed indefinitely due to Waititi’s commitments to Marvel, and there hasn’t been any updates ever since until now. Despite the director’s comments, however, there’s no official word on when shooting will begin or when the new release date will be, so stay tuned as more updates come in.

Elsewhere in entertainment, AMC Theaters is hosting a 27-hour Star Wars marathon just in time for the release of The Rise of Skywalker.