This shouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, this should be a relief to fans of the original Akira. The film has been in development hell for a long time, so Warner Bros. killing it in 2012 is just another bump in the road for a film that doesn’t seem to have a destination.

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that director Jaume Collet-Serra couldn’t make the movie with a $90 million budget, and that the studio wanted to bring it down to $70 million. And other sources are saying that the script by Steve Kloves isn’t ready at all.

But really, if you’ve seen the anime you know Akira is a titanic venture. The scope of that movie is enormous, so I have no clue how Warner Bros. expects anyone to make it for $90 million. Might as well just make a different movie. [THR via Ain't It Cool]

akira, warner bros