GET OUT Director Jordan Peele in Talks to Direct AKIRA
Jordan Peele made a huge splash with his feature film directing debut with the horror film Get Out. If you've seen the movie you know how great it is. The movie is one of my favorites of the year so far, and it shows that Peele is an incredibly talented filmmaker.
Well, Warner Bros. sees that talent and, according to The Tracking Board, the studio is "moving aggressively to lock in Jordan Peele" to direct their live-action version of Akira! How freakin' cool is that!? I loved Peele's work on Get Out, and I'm really curious to see what he'd do with a film like Akira.
Warner Bros. has been on the hunt for a new director for the film, which has been in development for years. Daniel Espinosa, who recently directed that fantastic sci-fi film Life, and David Sandberd, who is the director of the fun horror movie Lights Out, were both recently rumored to be up for the gig as well. But according to the report, the discussions with Peele seem to be very encouraging.
I'd actually really like to see Peele get the job. I don't think he would take the gig if he didn't feel confident enough to give fans something incredible. When it comes to Akira, I think Peele has an understanding of what's a stake and what he's up against when it comes to the longtime fans of Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic manga/anime.
The deal isn't done yet, though, so at this point anything can happen. One thing that insiders are saying is that after Get Out, Peele feels he's "ready to make the big-budget leap now," and Akira would certainly be quite a leap for him.
What do you all think about the possibility of Peele directing Akira? Is he a director you could get behind and support?