Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo, who also directed the seminal 1988 adaptation, will spearhead a new anime series for Bandai Namco's Sunrise that continues the story of the cyberpunk classic.
Otomo made the announcement Thursday at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, during which he also teased his third anime feature, Orbital Era. It's described as an action-adventure set "in the near future on a space colony under construction." His previous film was 2004's Steamboy.
According to Anime News Network, Sunrise President & CEO Makoto Asanuma said the intention is to "incorporate the entirety of the manga's story." The original anime didn't include much of the events from the latter half of the manga.
A pioneering manga and anime, Akira is set in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo gripped by gang violence and anti-government terrorism. When Tetsuo, a young member of a biker gang, manifests telepathic powers, he draws the attention of the government, which fears he poses a threat. The story was initially serialized from 1982 to 1992 in Young Magazine, with Otomo himself directing and co-writing the 1988 adaptation.
News of the new project comes as director Taika Waititi's Akira live-action film secures a 2021 release date. Warner Bros. has been planning an adaptation of the manga since at least 2002.