Mostly fear. I love the animated Akira. I used to put it in my video player almost every day when I go home from school and have it on in the background while I did my homework. It's a complex story of people and politics told at a pace that's just about comprehensible.
Why does it have to be set in Manhattan? What's wrong with Tokyo? Why does ever major world event always have to be relocated into America? I know, it's all about money and target audiences, but it's still damned annoying. Moving on...
They are rushing to get a release in summer 2009, which is worrying. It's not the kind of project that should be hurried through the system. Reports say that it's going to be split into two films, which is more reassuring. The film is going to be based on the ridiculously complicated manga, rather than the previous film, so it would need the space of two films to be able to scratch the surface of the full story.
The casting could be very challenging. Kaneda is a very iconic figure already, so trying to find a live-action replacement is going to be difficult. Fortunately, Leonardo Di Caprio is too old for the part! At least, I hope the makers realise that he is...
There are some positive signs about the production. In the Empire magazine article (
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=22045 ) they say that the influences are Blade Runner and City Of God, which bodes well.
It could be a huge mess, or a big desecration of a great story, but it's not all doom and gloom. I'm very curious to see who they cast though, I think that will give a better idea for the direction they are taking.