Leonardo DiCaprio making Akira remake

Washington (ANI): Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros. will be bringing Anime classic 'Akira' to the big screen as a live-action pic. DiCaprio will be producing via his Appian Way shingle. Also on board as producer is Andrew Lazar through his Mad Chance shingle. Jennifer Davisson, who heads up Appian, will also be involved in some producorial capacity, while Greg Silverman is overseeing for Warners.

Ruairi Robinson will be directing the two-part epic from a screenplay penned by Gary Whitta, reports the Hollywood Reporter. 'Akira' is set in a neon-lit futuristic post-nuclear war "New Tokyo" in 2019 where a teen biker gang member is subjected to a government experiment which unleashes his latent powers.

The gang's leader must find a way to stop the ensuing swathe of destruction. The studio is eyeing a summer 2009 release for the first movie.