Jordan Peele In Talks To Direct Live-Action 'Akira' Film
Photo Credit: Cullen Tobin for Vanity Fair
Photo of Jordan Peele taken by Cullen Tobin for Vanity Fair.
Having made a notable directorial debut with Get Out, Jordan Peele may now have his sights on another project — directing Akira.
According to The Tracking Board, Warner Bros. is reportedly trying to get Peele to direct the live-action adaptation of the iconic anime film. Originally Daniel Espinosa and David F. Sandberg were rumored to direct the film, but now that does not seem to be the case, with the talks between Warner and Peele "encouraging."
If Peele were to sign on to direct the project he would also likely write his own script (with the most recent draft being done by Marco Ramirez (Netflix's Daredevil).
Peele being rumored to direct bigger projects such as this only reflects the success he has had from Get Out's release. He did make history as the first black writer-director to score $100 million for a film debut, after all. Plus, finally having a director attached to the adaptation means that Akira can actually move forward towards becoming a movie. The script has been in the works since 2015, with a number of writers, actors, actresses, producers and directors (Mad Max's George Miller and The Dark Knight Trilogy's Christopher Nolan were both attached to the project at one point) once associated with the classic anime.
Also, considering Get Out's commentary on race, Peele would likely be sensitive to the white-washing that often occurs in live-action adaptations of anime, a controversy that we have seen recently on both the big screen (Ghost In The Shell) and small screen (Netflix's forthcoming Death Note series).
In other Peele news, it looks like he may never return to the sketch comedy world. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when asked if his sketch comedy career was over Peele said: "Yes. I want to focus on writing, directing and producing." Returning to that world is so far from the Get Out director's mind, that he said he hasn't even attempted to impersonate Donald Trump.
"I'm sure I'd have a fun time doing it if I did, but I'm happy to not be in sketch comedy right now," Peele said.
For now, Peele is still enjoying the success of Get Out. Today (March 30), he will be receiving the CinemaCon Director of the Year Award for the film, at this year's CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards. He is also trying to get the scripts of young black horror filmmakers turned into movies.
