Warner Bros. is trying once again to bring the manga classic Akira back to the big screen. The studio has reportedly hired Daredevil season two co-showrunner Marco J. Ramirez to write the film.
The surprising news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Ramirez will be overseeing the second season of the hit Netflix series with Doug Petrie, after writing episodes of the show’s first season. The two are replacing Steven DeKnight.
Ramirez’s other credits include Sons of Anarchy and Da Vinci’s Demons.
Warner Bros. has had the rights to Akira since 2008 and has struggled to get the project off the ground ever since. In 2012, it looked like the film was finally going to get made, when Kristen Stewart, Helena Bonham Carter and Garrett Hedlund were attached. Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) was set to direct at that point. However, they all moved on when production was stalled over budgetary concerns.
Other directors linked to the project have included Ruairi Robinson and Albert and Allen Hughes.
Akira was published in the 1980s and created by Katsuhiro Otomo. It is set in Neo-Tokyo following a nuclear apocalypse. Kaneda is the main character and best friends with Tetsuo, until Tetsuo suddenly gains telekinetic powers. Otomo also directed the iconic 1988 magna film, which is widely considered one of the best animated films ever made. It will be really hard for Warner Bros. to top that film.