AKIRA

2 films planned, each covering 3 volumes of Katsuhiro Otomo's original manga Entertainment news website Deadline reported on Tuesday that Warner Brothers is negotiating with Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) to direct its live-action Akira film project. Deadline describes the film's story as taking place "in the rebuilt New Manhattan where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment." Deadline also describes the project as spanning two films, with each film tackling three volumes Katsuhiro Otomo's original manga. Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar is producing the film alongside film Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson's Appian Way Productions. Jeff Sneider, editor-in-chief of The Tracking Board website, reported in March that Warner Brothers was in talks to purusue Jordan Peele (Get Out) as the film's director. Sneider also reported that Warner Brothers had also met with Daniel Espinosa (Life) and David F. Sandberg (Lights

Director does not confirm if he has signed on to proposed film Director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) commented in an interview with media news website IGN on Tuesday about reports of him negotiating to direct Warner Brothers' live-action Akira film project. Waititi did not confirm if he has signed on to direct the project, but said that he was "very passionate" about Akira. He said that he would not be interested in remaking the 1988 Katsuhiro Otomo film, but would be interested in "do[ing] an adaptation of the books," referring to Otomo's original six-volume manga. Regarding casting, he said, "Actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent." Both the recent live-action Ghost in the Shell film and Death Note Netflix movie have drawn criticism for alleged whitewashed casting. Deadline described the project's story as taking place "in the rebuilt New M

Manga by bara manga creator slated for spring 2018, 1st chapter previewed The official Twitter account for Digital Manga Inc.'s Juné imprint revealed on Thursday that bara (men's love) manga creator Sakira is launching an exclusive project with Juné for a manga titled Ore Miko!. The manga is slated for a spring 2018 release, and the first chapter is available to preview on Juné's site. Juné also announced that its release of Junko's Return of the Prince (Ōji no Kikan) manga is slated for November as a digital release, with a print version to be released at a later date. Juné describes Ore Miko!: Could the random assaults happening around town be the work of a demon? On a dark, rainy night after finishing his part-time job as a bartender, college student Kyou Izakura is attacked by a demon who's disgusted himself as a older gentleman!! Before being completely devoured, cool but pushy exorcist Shin Goudo intervenes and discovers that Kyou has the power to absorb spiri

Kyodo: Toriyama invested in U.S. real estate company later found to be noncompliant with U.S. regulations As part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' (ICIJ) investigation into the Paradise Papers, the organization found information last week on Dragon Ball manga creator Akira Toriyama's offshore investments. The Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on November 5 that Toriyama was one of 12 Japanese people who invested in a U.S. real estate company in 2000. The company's accounting methods "were later found to be noncompliant with federal regulations." According to Asahi Shimbun's report based on litigation documents, the company used loans and capital to purchase used apartments. Investors then declared a smaller income by adding the property depreciation deficits and other deficits together with the main company's profits. Kyodo reported that in 2005, tax authorities informed the investors that they would need to pay additional taxes. In a sep

Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski has admitted to using the pseudonym “Akira Yoshida” to write multiple comic books in the mid-2000s, as reported Tuesday by Bleeding Cool. This revelation has caused waves on social media, with observers questioning both the business ethics implications of Cebulski using a pen name as a writer while employed as a Marvel editor, and criticism that a Caucasian using a Japanese name to write manga-influenced comics is tantamount to yellowface; especially given the continued lack of diversity among creators in the mainstream North American comic book market. Marvel declined comment on the situation when reached by CBR. RELATED: C.B. Cebulski Named Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Cebulski was announced on Nov. 17 as Marvel’s new Editor-in-Chief, following Axel Alonso, who had held the position since 2011. On Sunday, Image Comics Brand Manager David Brothers tweeted that comics journalists should ask why Cebulski used the Yoshida