Jordan Peele is a hot property right now thanks to the runaway success of his indie horror Get Out, so all eyes are on what he will do next.
The director had been in talks for the remake of anime classic Akira, but that particular project is now off the table.
"I think [I could do it] if the story justifies it," he said at a party for Get Out (via Blumhouse.com). "Akira is one of my favourite movies, and I think obviously the story justifies as big a budget as you can possibly dream of.
"But the real question for me is: Do I want to do pre-existing material, or do I want to do original content? At the end of the day, I want to do original stuff."
Peele is currently working on a "social thriller" at Universal.
After the critical and financial flop that was Scarlett Johansson's Ghost in the Shell remake, the approach to turning Akira into a live-action movie will undoubtedly come under close scrutiny.
Akira is set in 'Neo-Tokyo', and previous attempts to adapt the story reportedly planned to transplant the action to New York City.
