AceShowbiz -

Long without any updates, "Akira" has been struck with a rumor that the project has come to a halt. Bloody Disgusting was the first to bring up the possibility to the surface, reporting that separate sources have confirmed the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga is "dead as a doornail".

Putting into attention more bad news, the horror movies site added that director Ruairi Robinson who is expected to make his directorial debut with "Akira" has left this big screen project. So far, there are yet words from both Warner Brothers and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way on whether the story is true or not.

"Akira" was originated in 1988 as a manga, before was made into an animated film co-written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a neon-lit post apocalyptic "New Tokyo" in 2019, it centers on a teenage biker gang member who became a government experiment subject that let loose his hidden power.

The movie version of the manga series was reported to be brought up to the big screen as a two-part epic and saw "Neo-Tokyo" being changed into "New Manhattan". Leonardo DiCaprio was set to produce alongside Andrew Lazar and Jennifer Davisson, while "The Book of Eli" scribe Gary Whitta was working on the script. Though Joseph Gordon-Levitt was linked to the Tetsuo role, no cast was ever publicly revealed to be attached.