Zorianna Kit, of the Hollywood Reporter, today revealed that Warner Bros. and filmmaker Stephen Norrington have teamed on a Western adaptation of the classic Japanese animated sci-fi adventure feature "Akira," with Norrington writing the story and directing. Jon Peters is producing.
"Akira," released in 1988, was based on a Japanese comic book novel and is set in a postapocalyptic Tokyo. It centered on a group of motorcycle-riding teens who must stop one of their members from running amok after he acquires telekinetic powers in a government experiment known as Akira.
Norrington, who may write the first draft of the screenplay subject to his other commitments, said in an interview that his story "preserves the tone, the visual and the epic scope of the original whilst telling a somewhat more accessible story (to Western audiences)."
Warner Bros. senior vp production Lionel Wigram is overseeing the project.
Norrington, repped by ICM, is readying "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," starring Sean Connery. He is best known for helming 1998's "Blade."
