10 Recent Movies That Were Forced To Shut Down Production (And Why)

3. Akira

Tom Cruise Mission Impossible
Toho

While the other entries on this list have described movies that were actually shooting when they were shut down, the recent closure of Warner Bros' live-action Akira remake is notable for the fact that it occurred well before filming had even started.

Inspired by the 1988 animation and the original 1982 manga series, Akira was set to be directed by Taika Waititi, but in July 2019, development of the movie was put on hold indefinitely, according to sources for The Wrap.

Apparently, one of the reasons behind this delay was the fact that Waititi had signed on to write and direct Thor: Love And Thunder for Marvel and Disney, a process which would clash with Akira's production.

Akira has been gestating for absolutely ages and it feels like the project is doomed to be stuck in development hell until the end of time, but on the plus side, Warner Bros is reportedly still keen on getting Waititi to make it - once Thor is all wrapped up, of course.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.