Rumors abound that the live-action Hollywood adaptation of Akira will be a trilogy with Christopher Nolan involved.

After Warner Bros. acquired the rights for Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic anime and manga in 2002, the western movie adaptation has been damned to Hollywood production Hell. Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, Jaume Collet-Serra, and even Kristen Stewart have been attached to the project and then passed off to gently die among the annals of movie magic.

Now with Leonardo DiCaprio’s company, Appian Way, brought aboard, and with Sons of Anarchy and Daredevil screenwriter Marco J. Ramirez involved, it seems that production may be one step closer to actually revving its engines.

With a source close to Warner Bros. reporting that the project may span three films, there should be a sigh of collective relief for fans of the original manga which was quite extensive and even caused issues during the production of the original anime. This same source also reported Christopher Nolan has met with a previously attached filmmaker to talk about the project.

Nolan’s connections to Warner Bros. and history with DiCaprio through Inception, give weight to the insider’s information. Whether or not Nolan would actually be directing or lending a hand as a producer like he did on Man of Steel is left to speculation.

With Nolan’s track record and Hollywood’s love of trilogies there could be hope yet we’ll actually see a live-action Akira make it past pre-production, until then we’ll have to wait and see as Nolan’s next project, set to release in 2017, is still shrouded in mystery.

Are you excited for a movie adaption of Akira to finally make its way to the big screen? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.