Akira, Still Alive?

It was reported back in June that the live-action adaptation of the classic anime film Akira had died. But it's recently been reported that the only reason there hasn't been any news on it is cause the writers were polishing the script. So it looks the Akira film is still on.

I was never really that excited about this film in the first place. The original Akira, while bizarre, is a pretty good film, one that is perfectly suited for animation. Why does Hollywood feel that they need to tamper with anything good to make it more acceptable to American audiences? First they decide to remake it with an English speaking cast and do it in live-action, but then they change the setting from Tokyo to Manhattan. By the time the film reaches the screen, it will most likely have nothing to do with the original anime.

If Warner Bros. really wanted to bring an Akira film to the states, then simply release the dubbed version of the original Akira in theaters rather than spending millions upon millions of dollars on a big, flashy Hollywood-ified spectacle. Of course WB would never do that, they only see the dollar signs inherent in making the film.

Even still there is a silver lining. The film is being produced by Leonardo Dicaprio, who supposedly has a huge affinity for the original anime, and I doubt any fan of the original would really let it stray too far from its source. Also the film is being written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man), two of the finer writers in Hollywood right now.

For all I know this film could be terrific, but as for now I'm still skeptical.