"Orphan" director Jaume Collet-Serra has signed on to direct Warner Bros.' long-in-the-works live-action adaptation of "Akira," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Leonardo DiCaprio-produced sci-fi epic, based on Katsuhiro Otomo's manga which was turned into the landmark anime film in 1988, has been in development since 2008. The Hughes Brothers ("From Hell," "The Book of Eli") were recently attached to the film, but parted ways with the project earlier this year.

Steve Kloves (the "Harry Potter" series) wrote the most recent draft of the screenplay, which centers on two teenage bikers, one of which is revealed to have startling telekinetic powers that the government -- in the midst of trying to quell a burgeoning revolution -- wants to obtain. The manga and anime took place in "Neo-Tokyo," but the live-action version will likely move the action to U.S. soil.

Jennifer Davisson Killoran of Appian Way is co-producing with Andrew Lazar.

In addition to the creepy "Orphan," Collet-Serra directed the "House of Wax" remake, the soccer drama "Goal II: Living the Dream," and last year's Liam Neeson thriller "Unknown," which earned $131 million at the global box office.