Albert Hughes has departed the Warner Bros. adaptation of Akira, Deadline reports.
The film has recently hit some creative stumbling blocks getting off the ground after recent word that Keanu Reeves turned down the leading role of Kaneda.
Famously adapted as an anime in 1988, Akira will be based on the original manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, depicting a sci-fi cyberpunk dystopia. Deadline suggests that, once a new director is found, previous talent might be re-approached. Their list includes, in addition to Reeves, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix up for Kaneda with Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy formerly up for the role of Tetsuo.
