Long Thai
In an interview with io9, Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi addressed rumors of his consideration for the job of directing the live-action adaptation of Akira by discussing the love that he has had for the source material since his childhood:
My mom took me to see Akira in the cinema in 1989, or whenever it came out in New Zealand, and it was a huge turning point in my life for what I imagined animation to be and realizing what it could be. It’s stuck with me this whole time and I feel, visually, the film was such an amazing thing.
So I read the [comic] books and I was always more curious as to what a broader adaptation of the books might look like instead of a remake of the film, which doesn’t need to be remade. But I do feel there could be a cool live action adaptation of the books.
We’re hoping that a dedicated love for the original material more than qualifies him for a crack at the long-in-development Akira film.