The Internet is (Still) Freaking Out About ‘Akira’ (and Possible Christopher Nolan Involvement)

News, or rather an as-yet unconfirmed report, broke today that director Christopher Nolan, he of Dark Knight and Interstellar fame, is now attached to a live-action adaptation of Akira. Or make that, a trilogy live-action adaptation of Akira:

We’ve now heard from a source close to Warner Bros. that the studio is planning to make a trilogy of films based on Akira – all the better to do justice to Otomo’s sprawling dystopian sci-fi yarn, perhaps.

A little history for those not already in the know. Akira is a Japanese manga series that ran through most of the ’80s and imagines a postapocalyptic Tokyo remade in the decades after World War III. The cyberpunk story was made into an animated film in 1988, and Warner Bros. has held the film rights since at least 2002.

In the decade since, the rumor mill has been constantly churning, mostly without anything to show for it. Enter the latest rumor regarding Nolan and a trilogy (sound a little too close to Batman to anyone else out there? No? Just me?) and the internet has…reacted.

You’d think a name like Nolan’s would be cause for celebration, but Akira fans have so far have run the gamut from pessimism…

hey that nonexistent live-action akira is now rumored to never be THREE movies instead of never being only one

— Zac Bertschy (@ANNZac) September 14, 2015

…to confusion…

AAaa”What do we want!” “A trilogy of Akira movies!” “When do we want it– hold up, what’d you say?” “Now! “No, seriously, go back a sec.”

— kevinbiegel (@kbiegel) September 14, 2015

…to more pessimism…

Nolan is a great director but for Akira? Amurica doesn’t need to ruin anymore anime. #NeverForgetDBEvolution https://t.co/JgwWlllOxt

— Wesley (@wesleytcarroll) September 14, 2015

…to suggesting alternate plans of attack.

@cjshaffe@Shaffe_N_Bake@Mikey_Rivera228 I want this so badly. But … Just watch Chronicle. It’s basically Akira

— Chris Tulley (@Tulley_Times) September 14, 2015

Nolan was far from a household name when he took on the Batman myth in the mid-2000s. But if no one else is going to voice some positivity, we will! If Batman brought Nolan to the masses a decade ago, maybe Nolan can be the one to finally bring Akira to the masses now. His schedule looks open — just an untitled project headed for theaters in 2017 — so whether as director or producer, it’s plausible Nolan could be the man to make live action Akira a reality at last.