The Book of Eli directors are perhaps going to be taking on the live action version of Akira next – yes I said Akira, the project is still alive and well and moving forward.

According to reports the directors are in early talks to take on the film, which we had heard was more or less dead...and then alive. Who knew? Well now it looks like it is alive.

Warner Bros. are looking to take on the Hughes Brothers to direct Akira ( / ), which we did hear was still moving forward, despite the earlier reports of the film being dead.

Albert and Allen Hughes have directed Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, From Hell, the BBC series Touching Evil, and The Book of Eli, and there's an interesting theme running through that, one of hard, gritty and dark reality. Those are definitely the words that spring to mind most about their projects, and that could well be the feel that the studio and producers want for Akira.

The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision tell us that the six volume comic will still be looked at for adaptation into two live action films, something we heard would be happening before the news of it's untimely demise, and then resurrection, and it was writers Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby and Gary Whitta who seem to have managed to save it from the brink of death with their latest draft.

There's no word on if the latest version of the script changes anything, we had heard that the story of Akira, set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo where biker gangs ruled the streets and one of the gang members awoke a latent psychological force which took control of him (that's a very simple plot explanation!), was going to be relocated in New York, with the setting seeing a place called New Tokyo built over a dirty bomb destroyed city. However there's no word of where this latest version is going.

Perhaps all we'll see different is the toning down of budget? However if the Hughes do get the job then we're in for something hard and gritty, and that's very good.