Taika Waititi’s ‘Akira’ to Face Off Against ‘John Wick 4’ in 2021

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Warner Bros. has dated its live-action “Akira” movie, directed by Taika Waititi and produced by , for May 21, 2021, when it will face off against “John Wick 4.”

The studio announced the date on Friday, two days after pushing the release of “DC Super Pets” back a year, avoiding opening against “.” Lionsgate revealed earlier this week that it would debut “John Wick 4” on the 2021 date following “John Wick: Chapter 3’s” highly successful launch.

Warner Bros. will shoot “” in California and receive an $18.5 million tax credit, the California Film Commission announced in April . “Akira,” based on a manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otomo, and set in a post-apocalyptic 2060 Tokyo, will generate an estimated $92 million in qualified spending, including $43 million in wages to 200 below-the-line crew members and more than 5,000 extras/stand-ins. The project is scheduled to film entirely in California over the course of 71 days.

DiCaprio is producing “Akira” with Jennifer Davisson through their Appian Way company. In order to receive the tax credit, production must commence by October.

“Akira” was adapted into a 1988 anime film directed by Otomo. The story is based on a secret military project endangering Tokyo after it turns a biker gang member into a psychopath.