Film & TV / NewsFilm & TV / NewsAkira’s live-action remake gets a 2021 release dateThe Leonardo DiCaprio-produced film will come out on May 21, 2021ShareLink copied ✔️May 25, 2019May 25, 2019TextThom Waite Earlier this week (May 20) we got news that the live-action remake of the acclaimed anime Akira is set to start shooting in July. Now, though, we’ve had another update. The Wrap reports that Akira will have a summer 2021 release date, slated for May 21. As we’ve previously covered, Taika Waititi will be directing the adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga, which became iconic as a 1988 film credited with bringing anime to a western audience. He’s been clear, though, that the focus will be on the original text, telling IGN back in 2017: “I would not do a remake of the movie. I would do an adaption of the books.” Another big name now revealed to be involved in the production is Leonardo DiCaprio, who will produce alongside Jennifer Davisson (known for The Revenant) on behalf of his own production company, Appian Way. Reassuringly, Waititi has spoken of his intentions to cast Asian teenagers in the primary roles, which will mean avoiding a whole Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell whitewashing debacle. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREDazed x MUBI Cinema Club returns with a screening of My Father’s ShadowNo Other Choice: Park Chan-wook’s bleak, bloody takedown of capitalismJim BeamWhat went down at Jim Beam’s NYC bashGetting to the bottom of the Heated Rivalry discourseMarty Supreme and the cost of ‘dreaming big’AdanolaLila Moss fronts Adanola’s latest spring 2026 campaignBen Whishaw on the power of Peter Hujar’s photography: ‘It feels alive’Atropia: An absurdist love story set in a mock Iraqi military villageMeet the new generation of British actors reshaping Hollywood Sentimental Value is a raw study of generational traumaJosh Safdie on Marty Supreme: ‘One dream has to end for another to begin’Animalia: An eerie feminist sci-fi about aliens invading MoroccoEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy