Akira, deemed one of the best anime films of all times, was back in 2008 on Warner Bros' agenda. They bought the rights and planned on producing a live-action movie, but the project never got off the ground.

The greatest controversy about this adaptation regarded the studio's choice of westernizing the story. But if Warner Bros did indeed want to replace the set of the story and the characters in order to appeal to the western audience, well, we never got to see that happening.

The likes of Zac Efron, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe, James Franco, Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter were reportedly in talks with the studio to play in Akira. And that clearly indicated a tendency to put a western twist on the Japanese manga classic.

On top of the rumored cast, Jaume Collet-Serra and Gary Whitta should have been part of the project, presumably to direct and pen the script, respectively.

The true reason why Akira never flew was the budget, Warner Bros pressing the director to limit the expenses to $ 70 million.

Now, however, new hope arises. It seems Warner Bros is willing to give Akira another try.