Satan Thwarted as Live-Action Akira Gets Canned Again

?From The Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Bros is pushing the pause button on Akira.

The project, which has been through several incarnations, is being
shut down in the face of casting and budgetary issues. The production
offices in Vancouver are being closed, with below-the-line talent and
crew told to stop working. “Everybody is being sent home,” according to
an insider.

Producers, which include Appian Way’s Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar, will hunker down with director Jaume Collet-Serra for the next two weeks to iron out the script. It is unclear if Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves, who did a pricey rewrite on the project a year ago, will be brought in to help out.

If the issues cannot be resolved, the project could end up being shelved entirely, say insiders.

Collet-Serra had already halved the budget from the incarnation that Albert Hughes was going to direct. He is now working on a budget in the $90 million range. But with only Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) signed on to star, and Kristen Stewart, Ken Wattanabe and Helena Bonham Carter
in various stages of dealmaking, the studio feels that the price tag is
still too high for a sci-fi project with that level of star wattage.
The goal, say insiders, is to bring the budget down to between $60
million and $70 million.

Yeah, because that’s exactly what the live-action Akira movie needs — a smaller budget. Hey, Warner Bros. — I know a surefire way you can break even on the live-action Akira. Get a pen. Ready?
DON’T FUCKING MAKE IT.