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Akira remains one of the most iconic and important anime films of all time, so it isn’t surprising that Hollywood would want to cash in on it with a live-action remake. It also isn’t surprising that it took so long to make that live-action remake that the rights have reverted to Kodansha instead. According to one former executive at Crunchyroll, an American investor group wanted to get the rights to Akira but didn’t want to court the Japanese company.

“Okay, funny story from my time at Crunchyroll,” Dallas Middaugh, former Head of Events and Manga at Crunchyroll, said in a LinkedIn post. “Before the company was purchased by Sony, it was owned by The Chernin Group, which owned Chernin Entertainment, which makes movies.”

Turns out, some people at Chernin Entertainment were interested in getting the rights to Akira since the Hollywood remake seemed to be languishing in purgatory for a long time. In around 2016, they turned to the folks at Crunchyroll for how to make that happen.

“’Yes, I know what you need to do,’ I told them, ‘But you’re not going to like it,’” Middaugh explained. “First, you’ll need to fly to Japan to meet with Kodansha. I can get you the right people. You can present information about your company, express your interest in Akira, maybe take them out for a nice dinner, then go home.”

That doesn’t sound so bad, but Middaugh wasn’t done. “Next, you’ll need to do the same thing 6-12 months later. Then again within 6-12 months.”

According to Middaugh, his time at Crunchyroll had taught him that the key to working with Japanese companies like Kodansha wasn’t just about having a great pitch; it was about “building relationships over time” and proving that they are serious about the movie. “If you’re lucky, the rights for Akira will be up for grabs by then. If not, you’ll at least have made a good impression and there may be something else you want to get from them.”

That is a big time commitment, but Middaugh is right – it would prove that they are serious about making an Akira movie and not just chasing a trend for a quick buck. However, we’re guessing that Chernin Entertainment chose not to make that investment, which is why Kodansha now has the rights to Akira again.

Each week, Popverse's resident anime expert Trent Cannon runs down the latest and, dare we say "greatest," in anime and manga in Popverse Jump. Some recent columns have included... 

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