In 1988, one of the most defining films of the cyberpunk genre came out to the public, an anime adaptation to a popular comic book in Japan (manga) that would ultimately change the course of animation in the country and well beyond its borders - now, could a live-action version be underway as Christopher Nolan's "Akira" rumors grow?

Only a few days back, the director best known for his work behind the cameras in works like "Inception," the Christian Bale-led "Batman" trilogy and most recently the sci-fi "Interstellar," announced that he was working on a top-secret project possibly being released in 2017, could it be Christopher Nolan's "Akira"?

According to Hype Beast, there are currently heavy Christopher Nolan "Akira" rumors, as supposedly the director has jumped on board to a new live-action trilogy based on the manga, a complete reboot of Katsuhiro Otomo's dystopian world of Neo Tokyo.

Screen Crush reports that Christopher Nolan's "Akira" reboot would in fact be a trilogy, as Warner Bros. acquired the film rights to the original manga over a decade ago and they've been looking to find a cast and crew for the project, as it has been going around Hollywood for a while - until finally offering it to Nolan, who has worked with the studio a number of times with great results.

According to io9, Christopher Nolan's "Akira" involvement is no more than rumor at this point, and while many think he's directing, he may have been brought in to produce or even just advise production.

In the meantime, many are speculating that Nolan's mystery project set for a 2017 release, which will be produced by Warner Bros., could in fact be the start of this new trilogy - but still there has been no confirmation from Nolan's reps nor anyone from the studio.

In any case, fans are currently divided about the possibility of a Christopher Nolan "Akira" remake, torn between the director's good rep and the idea of messing with a genre classic.