According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. has halted production on Akira.
The production offices in Vancouver are being closed and the crew has been told to stop working. “Everybody is being sent home,” an insider said.
Reportedly, producers are meeting with director Jaume Collet-Serra over the next two weeks to work on the script. If the issues cannot be resolved the project could end up being shelved entirely.
Another issue is that the current budget is in the $90 million range but insiders say that they want to get that down to $60- 70 million.
Right now only Garrett Hedlund has officially signed on to star, though Kristen Stewart, Ken Wattanabe and Helena Bonham Carter are in various stages of deal-making for the film.
Akira is an Americanized story set in a post-apocalyptic New Manhattan, where a motorcycle gang leader (Hedlund) must stop his brother and fellow gang member from abusing his newly acquired telekinetic powers.
As we recently reported, the movie was expected to begin filming in early March, but if they do go back into production, it is likely that date will be pushed.
Stay tuned for updates on Akira, or send us an email at olv@onlocationvacations.com if you have any scoop about the shoot!
