Christopher Nolan Could Be Directing A Live-Action Trilogy Based On Hit Anime Sci-Fi Film ‘Akira’

The celebrated director of the Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan, could be directing another trilogy adaptation of iconic source material: the animated Japanese sci-fi film, Akira.

According to Den of Geek, Warner Brothers studios is planning a set of three live-action movies based on the popular anime and Christopher Nolan could be somehow involved. The original manga and anime were penned by Katsuhiro Otomo, and the dark Akira universe has built a strong cult fan base ever since.

While a film adaptation of Akira has been planned for over a decade since Warner Brothers acquired the rights, it seems like fans can finally get excited about seeing the cyberpunk story hit the big screen. A source close to the studio revealed that three separate films will be made, as opposed to the original plan of cramming the dense, dystopian plot into a single installment.

Multiple Hollywood stars have been tossed around as possible cast members for the Akira adaptation, including Keanu Reeves, Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart. While fans haven’t been particularly thrilled with any of those names, perhaps the mention of Christopher Nolan will make some fans more optimistic about the trilogy. Christopher Nolan has reportedly met with someone working on the Akira project within the past three months to discuss his involvement.

Other reports claim that Christopher Nolan is working on a mysterious new film that has yet to be announced, but it’s slated for release in July of 2017, according to IGN. Now fans are speculating that the next big Christopher Nolan project could the first installment in the Akira trilogy. Very few concrete details have been confirmed at this point, but things are looking promising for those who want Akira to be done right. With major critical successes like Inception and Memento under his belt, Christopher Nolan may be perfect to bring a big budget adaptation of Akira to life.

Christopher Nolan has also worked with Leonardo DiCaprio in the past, whose production company Appian Way is producing Akira. While another team-up between Nolan and DiCaprio sounds exciting to some, this could be a hint that Christopher Nolan is only helping to produce the film and won’t have much input in the creative process.

Do you think Christopher Nolan will direct the Akira trilogy? And do you think he should?

Otherwise, stay tuned for more information on the upcoming Christopher Nolan project.

[Images courtesy of: Toho Co., Frazer Harrison / Getty Images]