Akira is arguably the most influential anime film ever. When it was released in the States in the late 80s, it opened the door for domestic anime releases. Without Akira, anime wouldn’t be as popular in the States (or even really exist in such a widespread capacity), as it showed American audiences an alternative to the Disney animation style. Akira‘s influence has spread throughout all reaches of pop culture, from clothing to even hip hop (as illustrated in Kanye West’s “Stronger” video).
However, since Akira‘s release, Hollywood has struggled to make a live-action adaptation of the film. A plethora of big names were mentioned for Akira at different points, including Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley, and Mila Kunis. Given the gravity of the anime and the difficulty to do it justice (let alone the technology and budget to properly do it), the project has been scrapped numerous times.
Luckily, concept art has been released to give a glimpse into the stylistic approach that could have been used. A lot of proposed liberties were taken with the script, including changing the setting from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan, which would have been occupied and run by Japan. Based off of these concept shots, the live-action Akira film would have kept the spirit of the anime alive. Will we ever get to see it? Probably not, but at least the artists were on the right track.
[via Crunchyroll]
