Taika Waititi’s ‘Akira’ Synopsis Reaffirms Neo-Manhattan Setting

Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi’s next film, an adaptation of Akira, has gotten a very detailed new plot synopsis.

Taika Waititi proved that he could tackle big-budget, out-of-this-world stories with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok and his next film is going to be just as wild, if not more. Hollywood has been developing a live-action Akira film for over a decade and now the film is finally going into production with Taika Waititi at the helm.

Akira‘s plot synopsis has been released online thanks to an Instagram post from Production Weekly. The synopsis for Taika Waititi’s Akira doesn’t hold back many details and one interesting part of the breakdown is the new setting of the story, which is Neo-Manhattan. Check out the full synopsis for Taika Waititi’s Akira below.

“When a young man’s telekinesis is discovered by the military, he is taken in to be turned into a super weapon and his brother nuts race to save him before Manhattan is destroyed by his powers. Kaneda is a bar owner in Neo-Manhattan who is stunned when his brother Tetsuo is abducted by Government agents lead by the Colonel. Desperate to get his brother back, Kaneda agrees to join Ky Reed and her underground movement who are intent on revealing to the world what truly happened to New York City 30 years ago when it was destroyed. Kaneda believes their theories to be ludicrous, but after facing his brother again is shocked when he displays telekinetic powers. Ky believes Tetsuo is headed to release a young boy. Akira, who has taken control of Tetsuo’s mind, Kaneda clashes with the Colonel’s troops on his way to stop Tetsuo from releasing Akira, but arrives too late. Akira soon emerges from his prison courtesy of Tetsuo as Kaneda races to save his brother before Akira once again destroys Manhattan island as he did thirty years ago.”

The original Akira, an animated film adaptation of the famous manga, was released in 1988 and takes place in Neo-Tokyo. Names like Jordan Peele and Zac Efron have been attached to a live-action version of the movie in the past but the project has yet to come to fruition. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on all news regarding Taika Waititi’s Akira as soon as more information becomes available. Are you looking forward to Taika Waititi tackling the story of Akira? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: Production Weekly