What the ‘Akira’ Movie Would Have Looked Like

Comic artist Chris Weston recently took to his blog to post almost a dozen storyboards that he drew up for the live-action 'Akira' adaptation back when Albert Hughes was attached to direct and Kristen Stewart set to star. Weston and Hughes, having worked together on 'Book of Eli,' obviously had a grandiose and faithful vision for 'Akira'; the storyboards are incredibly detailed, and if Hughes' had nailed these, it's entirely possible that we would have received the best possible film version of the classic sci-fi anime.

It remains to be seen whether or not we'll ever get to experience a live-action 'Akira' film. For many, the doubt that it will actually happen - what with its countless delays and budget concerns - is a good thing, as it's considered a sacred property, and fans simply hate it when such works of art are mucked with by Hollywood. Still, there's always the slim possibility things will go right, and when it comes to 'Akira,' they might have been very close indeed.

Hughes departed the project last summer, so it's close to a certainty that we'll never see these particular storyboards transition to the big screen. 'Unknown' helmer Jaume Collet-Serra ultimately replaced Hughes and seemed close to finally launching 'Akira,' but the production was put on hold indefinitely earlier this year, so we have a substantial time to go before seeing flesh-and-blood versions of Tetsuo and Kaneda.

Take a gander at what could have been below; you can see more on Weston's blog. You can also take a look at artist Sylvain Despretz's concept art for the film here.