Akira in 2009

Warner Brothers will finally launch the production of the movie adaptation Akira, famousJapanese manga by anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo.
This adaptation should span over three movies, with at least the first instalment directed by Ruairi Robinson and scripted by Gary Whitta.

The first opus of Akira is being fast tracked for release in summer 2009.

Leonard DiCaprio, whose company Appian Way is also coproducing the movie, is likely to interpret the central role of Kaneda.

Like we said this movie is an adaptation: one striking difference is that the movie story will be set in "New Manhattan" instead of Neo-Tokyo in the Japanese manga.

Hard-line fans of Akira may object to such a change. But well, the movie adaptation is first targeting the American public. So such a change makes sense.
;-p