Akirais widely held as one of the most influential movies of all time, and one great superhero film proves it. AlthoughAkirahas not yet been adapted into live-action, many have tried to do it. Action and fantasy movies have come a long way since the release ofAkirain 1988, with plenty of filmmakers across the world having been inspired by not only the animated feature.
AkiraseesShōtarō Kaneda acquiring special powers after a motorbike accident, leading to the movie’s central metaphors around a lot of different themes.Hollywood’s live-action anime adaptationsdon’t bode well for a live-action version of this story, with many of them failing to live up to the anime and manga in many ways.Akirawas layered and profound, and a proper adaptation may not be able to capture this. That said, 2012’sChroniclemay have come close.
Chronicle Is An Original Superhero Movie Heavily Influenced By Akira
Akira’s Fingerprints Are All Over Chronicle
Akira’sperfect live-action adaptationmay have already happened in the form ofChronicle, the American movie directed by Josh Trank. Played by Dane DeHaan,Andrew is a troubled teen superhero struggling to deal with new telekinetic abilities, clearly reflecting the experience of Kaneda inAkira.
The movie deals with similar themes and has a similar thriller atmosphere, combining cool action with a powerful story.Chroniclemay not be a traditional superhero film, but it explores the usual tropes while echoingAkira.
Chronicle Might Be The Closest Thing To Live-Action Akira We’ll Ever Get
The Akira Movie Has Been In Development Hell For Decades
Taika Waititi’s live-actionAkiraplanis just the latest, and probably the most exciting, adaptation plan among many to have emerged in the wake ofAkira’simpressive 1988 launch. As one of the most famous anime movies of all time, and perhaps the most important,it seems like a no-brainer to adaptAkira, at first glance. But maybe it is a good thing thatAkiranever got an actual live-action adaptation. PerhapsAkira’slegacy is best left as powerful as it currently is.
ManyAkirafans would indeed prefer that the anime be left unadapted. Despite this, Waititi’s intriguing idea - adapting the manga, not the anime - sounds interesting.A live-actionAkiramovie is difficult to makefor many reasons, with nailing the body horror transformations not the least of them. And, all said and done, Waititi’s movie is still stuck in development hell. It may well be the case thatChronicleis the closest thing to a live-actionAkiramovie or TV series that we will ever get.
Cast
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
