The Live Action 'Akira' Reboot is Really Happening

Source: Youtube

Directed by Thor: Ragnarok's Taika Waititi, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way.

After years of incubation, the live action Akira reboot is finally a go.

According to a recent Deadline report, the film has been granted (just shy of) $18.5 million in tax credit to shoot in California. Warner Bros. Pictures EVP, Ravi Mehta, said earlier this week that the studio was "thrilled with the opportunity to shoot Akira in California."

READ: Akira Soundtrack Finally Reissued On Vinyl

It's the first development in the film's long-rumored (now damn-near confirmed,) production. Though there were years of speculation over who might take the director's seat (Jordan Peele was an early front-runner,) Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do in The Shadows,) is reportedly at the helm, with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way in a co-production slot.

And while there's no shoot date or cast announced just yet, the California Film Commission estimates the production to be massive, employing hundreds in the film crew, cast, and extras, as well as generating $43 million in salaried wages.

Hopefully, Warner Bros. will take a cue from the casting of Netflix's upcoming Cowboy Bebop redux and not whitewash a classic.