Back in November, we brought you the rumor about Warner Bros. Pictures offering the role of Colonel Shikishima aka The Colonel to Ken Watanabe (Inception) after Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises) reportedly passed on the role in the Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) directed adaptation of Akira.

In the latest news about the project, THR reports that Warner Bros. Pictures has put the brakes on pre-production for Akira, shutting down the production offices in Vancouver. Despite already having gone through numerous rewrites, the studio reportedly wants the existing script reworked to scale down the reported $90 million budget. Other sources close to the production say it’s not a budget issue, rather the script that has caused the project to be put on hold.

A source close to the project told the trade that Akira isn’t dead yet.  “It’s a very resilient movie,” said the insider. “Warner Bros. just won’t let it die.”

Otomo’s novel was first adapted as an animated feature, also titled Akira, in 1988. The film earned $84m at the US box office in less than a month. Otomo will act as executive producer on this live action adaptation.

Akira starring Garrett Hedlund is slated to hit theaters in 2013.