Akira – 25th Anniversary Blueray/Live Action Movie Update

Funimation will be releasing an Akira – 25th Anniversary Edition blueray, later this year. No release date given from Funimation yet, but Walmart Currently has it listed for release on November 12, so I’ll take a wild stab and say it will be out about then. All we know is that it will be coming with both the Streamline and Pioneer English dubs. Both are awful, but subtitles are always an option. -UhLderbuGI So Funimation now has the rights to Akira, what does this mean? Well for one the blueray will no longer be rare as hell going for an average of $150.00 on Amazon, next I imagine this will give them some sway with Warner Bros. over the live action version. Warner Bros. Is currently in talks with Jaume Collet-Serra – Orphan, House of Wax 2005, about production on his version of the movie. But Warner Bros. Is not happy with the current price tag that Collet-Serra is pitching, wanting a more scaled down version. Is this a strategy for the future of Akira or just convenient timing, hard to say. But with any luck this may help (or hinder) the project in the right way and to get a more capable director with a proper budget for such a legendary film that changed how animation is seen by the world today. I don’t get on my soap box often, but Akira deserves better and I think that most of the people over at WB know that this is a dollar bill tied to the end of a grenade pin if they think they can half ass it.   Shawn Cogswell is the Anime journalist for Big Shiny Robot! You can find him on twitter @Gaxbot