Jordan Peele Explains Why He Turned Down Directing AKIRA

The live-action adaptation of Akira has been in development hell for quite some time now. I remember the good ol' days when we thought it was going to be made with Zac Efron (bless his soul), but things have never worked out for the film. Recently, there were talks that Jordan Peele would direct the live action adaption of Akira, right off of success from his film, Get Out, but he ultimately turned it down. The question is why?

Well, in a recent interview with Blumhouse, Jordan Peele explained his reasoning for not directing Akira:

"I think [I could direct] if the story justifies it. AKIRA is one of my favorite movies, and I think obviously the story justifies as big a budget as you can possibly dream of. But the real question for me is: Do I want to do pre-existing material, or do I want to do original content? At the end of the day, I want to do original stuff."

Bold words and a bold choice. But he makes a good point. There will always be someone to direct big budget remakes and sequels, but if you have ideas for original films you want to make, then make them. I look at so many of my favorite filmmakers and they always are making films they want to. Wes Anderson, Edgar Wright, and even James Gunn. Sure, he makes big blockbuster films like Guardians of the Galaxy, but it's one he wanted to do from the beginning. It's a film with a story he wants to tell in his own style.

Jordan Peele is already in talks to direct another "social thriller" with a bigger budget than Get Out, so he isn't out of work. I am excited for what he has planned next. I thought Get Out was such a brilliant concept and well-made movie. It tackled so many interesting issues while also being a freaky, spine-chilling experience. Maybe down the line, if the Akira movie still hasn't been made, and Peele feels like he has an idea and isn't busy, he'll do it. But in the mean time he'll be developing original film projects that we can all enjoy!