The upcoming Warner Bros. film, Akira, has recently been allotted about $18.5 million for its shooting in California. This announcement came from the California Film Commission. Akira is to be a live-action adaptation of the Katsuhiro Otomo manga series of the same name as well as its 1988 anime film, which is widely regarded as one of the most important Japanese animated films as well as science fiction films of all time. It is being produced by American actor and producer, Leonardo Dicaprio, along with film producer, Jennifer Davisson, through their film company, Appian Way Productions. New Zealand filmmaker, Taika Waititi, (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do in the Shadows) has been on board to direct the project but will produce as well.

Shooting for the film is believed to be within a period of 71 filming days and its allocation is the largest of the 18 different projects mentioned in California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program 2.0. The title with the second highest amount of tax credits is Stillwater from New Line Productions which was given $7.3 million in tax credits.

This is a perfect display of the amount of money that goes into making a feature film, especially for a large studio, how much employment it can generate, and the extreme degree of economic stimulation for the states through tax incentives. It also tells us that Waititi’s Akira will be shooting soon in the beautiful golden state.