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Thor: Ragnarok Director Says He Wouldn't Whitewash AKIRA


Last month, it was reported that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi was in talks to direct the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Omo's cyberpunk manga/anime AKIRA, but some fans were concerned that Hollywood's take on the cyberpunk classic would be whitwashed like previous anime-inspired films like Netflix's Death Note and Ghost in the Shell.

However, if Waititi ends up directing AKIRA, don't expect the film to whitewash its Japanese origins.

While doing a press tour for Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi talked to IGN and confirmed that he was in talks to direct AKIRA. He was also asked how he would approach AKIRA, and it turns out that he wouldn't whitewash its characters.

"Yeah. actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent," Waititi explained.

"I actually love the books. Love the movie, but I would not do a remake of the movie. I would do an adaptation of the books," he said, referring to the six-volume manga by Katsuhiro Omo.

Waititi's comments are contrary to a previous report about how the Hollywood version of AKIRA would be Americanized. It will reportedly be set in "the rebuilt New Manhattan where the leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment."

Thor: Ragnarok is set to release in theaters on November 3, 2017.

Read more: Mark Ruffalo: Thor Ragnarok Is A Beginning Of A 3-Movie-Arc For The Hulk

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