Leonardo DiCaprio's live-action version of 'Akira' is to be filmed in California.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio

The film, based on the Manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhiro Otama, will soon begin shooting in the US state after scoring $18.5 million in tax credits under the California Film Commission's Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0.

The shoot is scheduled to take place over 71 days and, according to Deadline, will employ more than 200 "below-the-line" crew and more than 5,000 employees.

'Thor: Ragnarok' director Taika Waititi remains attached to helm the film, which takes place in Tokyo in the year 2060 and follows Tetsuo and his best friend Kaneda after Tetsuo's government experiment-boosted psychic powers threaten both of their lives.

Ravi Mehta, Warner Bros Pictures EVP of physical production and finance, said in a statement: "We are thrilled with the opportunity to shoot 'Akira' in California. The availability of top-notch crew members, plus the wide variety of location choices and predictable weather are second to none."

The movie is one of 18 other films that will receive the tax benefits under the condition filming takes place in California and the picture will be produced by Leonardo's Appian Way Productions that he founded in 2004 alongside Andrew Lazar.

California Film Commission executive director Amy Lemisch added: "Big-budget film projects bring big employment and big spending, and we're able to bring them home to California more cost-effectively than other locales that don't have all that we have to offer,

"'Akira' is just the latest in a growing list of big-budget film projects that have found California offers the best value despite the availability of more aggressive financial incentives in other states and nations."

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