Mark Fergus

Two years after it acquired the rights to influential manga Akira, Warner Bros. is courting the Hughes Brothers (twins Allen and Albert) to direct a live-action version of the tale. A script has already been written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, and Gary Whitta (the latter of whom penned the brothers' most recent outing, The Book of Eli).

It's been a good long while since there was anything to report on concerning Warner Bros.' plans to adapt the anime sensation Akira into a big budget live action extravaganza. Over a year, in fact. Finally a bit of news has trickled out.

With Iron Man raking in money hand over fist, still, I’m sure one of the big questions in Hollywood is something we’ve not heard in a long time; what is Robert Downey, Jr. doing next? Other than the inevitable sequel(s), it looks like it might be the long-gestating adaptation of Cowboys & Aliens.