Despite being the most recent director attached to the live-action Akira adaptation, Taika Waititi is currently unsure about his involvement in the project.
"We had to keep pushing the dates, and it encroached on the Thor dates, which were immovable," Waititi told Variety. "So Akira ended up shifting two years down the track." When asked if the film was still a possibility, he said, "I think eventually it will happen. I’m just not sure if I’ll be doing it."
1988's Akira is based on a manga of the same name by Katsuhiro Otomo. The rights to a live-action Akira film were obtained by Warner Bros. in 2002 and several directors have been attached to the project over the years, including Stephen Norrington, Ruairi Robinson, Allen and Albert Hughes and Jaume Collet-Serra. Waititi signed on for Akira in 2017, with his version originally set to release on May 21, 2021.
Waititi will direct the fourth installment of the Thor film series, Thor: Love and Thunder, which will begin production this summer. Releasing Nov. 5, 2021, Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman.