Synopsis

A biker gang leader races to rescue his kidnapped friend, who has become the subject of a powerful supernatural experiment. Set in a dystopian future, the planned live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga centers on psychic abilities, military secrecy, urban unrest, and the threat of a catastrophic return to the past.

Factoids & Trivia

• This IMDb entry refers to a planned American live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga, not the completed 1988 Japanese animated film.

• Sony Pictures pursued a live-action version during the 1990s, while Warner Bros. acquired the adaptation rights in 2002.

• The project became a notable example of development hell. Over more than two decades, numerous writers and filmmakers were attached, but production never reached the stage of filming.

• Taika Waititi was attached during the final major attempt. The project was once scheduled for a May 21, 2021 release, but Warner Bros. removed it from its schedule after development stalled.

• Earlier versions reportedly considered relocating the story from Neo-Tokyo to an American setting. That approach drew criticism because the manga's postwar Japanese context is closely tied to its themes and imagery.

• Casting discussions also prompted controversy over the possibility of replacing the story's Japanese characters with Western actors, an issue commonly described as whitewashing or racebending.

• In June 2025, Warner Bros. allowed its live-action rights to lapse, returning them to Kodansha. The planned adaptation therefore remained unproduced after more than twenty years of development.