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EXCLUSIVE: The script for the Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures live action adaptation of anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo’s 6-volume graphic novel Akira has been sent to a short list of actors. The picture is finally taking shape for an August start, following the delivery of a rewrite by Steve Kloves that has director Albert Hughes and the studio brass excited. The story takes place in the rebuilt New Manhattan where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment. There are two major roles, and I’m told that for Tetsuo, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy have been given the new script. For the role of Kaneda, the script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix. The two leads are expected to come from that group of actors.
Andrew Lazar is producing with Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Akira has been one of Warner Bros’ high priority projects since the studio with Legendary Pictures acquired it for a 7-figure sum 2 years ago from manga publisher Kodansha. The intention has been to make 2 films, each covering 3 books in the series. Akira was first adapted for the screen in 1988.
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Japanese actors please!
I think the studios have given up on trying to appeal to the built-in fanbases on any anime/manga adaptations.
C. Towns: Did they ever *try*?
Then why keep the title? What’s the point? Why not just loosely base it off the original and change all the names and the title? Kind of like The Magnificent Seven.
Love the anime. But why this cast list? And why is everything always happening in LA or one of the five boroughs of New York? If this is the best Hollywood can do I think I’ll wait for House of the Dead 3.
More white washing from Apartheid Hollywood. Pass.
Great work, Hughes Brothers. Way to sell out.
wow. i hope for pattinson’s sake that he turns it down so i won’t have to puke at him on the screen.
really leonardo di caprio? i never thought you’d be a whitewasher but here we are.
Excited for this, but at the same time worried about how bad it might turn out. Really think they should try to stick to the the original story. Love you Rob, but I got a baaddd feelin about this.
No, not Justin Timberlake.For all that is good in the world.
Half these guys already have their franchise. Why would they tie up even more of their time in this pile of poo? And if Leo has any faith in it, why doesn’t he star in it himself?
yep, here come the rob pattinson haters. you can set your watch on how reliable they are.
They’re aiming for PG-13. PG-13 for Akira! Shameful.
So no suggestive sexual content, and no graphic violence and no hope left for this movie… yup I was right this IS Dragonball all over again
Hollywood really needs to stop whitewashing EVERYTHING. Is it really such a horrible crime for them to stay true to the culture of the source material? This movie is going to tank.
This is a joke right? They couldn’t find actors of Japanese descent? I hate Hollywood. Watch the animated classic. It’ll still be the definitive version after this crap makes it to thescreen.
I’m interested to see how this turns out.
However, I’m not too optimistic. About the film in general, I mean.
What better way to continue to honor the victims of the Japanese quake then by having white actors play characters in another one of their comic adaptations?
Timberland is a decent actor and could work, in theory.
But they should at least try and get an Asian actor to play Tetsuo.
The prejudice against RP is tiring. He’s starred in a wildly popular chick flick series, so what. He’s a good and smart actor and undeniably hot property right now, so of course he will be offered scripts for roles that fit his age group, so deal with it. And he will be choosing roles that will interest him and feed his varied and oftentimes eccentric taste in movies. Seeing his name mentioned for this project didn’t interest me at first, but if he’s interested in this role, I’ll be rooting for him to get it so to piss you off fanboys.
DealWithIt: That’s what they said about Franco until that Oscar speech.
@DealWithIt, exactly. Robert Pattinson is popular in CHICK FLICKS! Akira is NOT a chick flick. It’s based on an anime series targeted towards young men. How many “young men” will pay to see him?
Most people above the age of 12 or those not living in our parent’s basement go see movies because we like the stories, we go to see them again if we like how the story has translated into film.
I see this as an opportunity for more people to get to know this story and if it means Robert Pattinson in it, I don’t care. I am willing to give the guy a chance.
You do that, dont freak out when I tell you “told you so…”
The sparkletards are here. Robert Pattinson is wooden and constipated in every movie. After Twilight no one will hire him. He’s good for a Razzie nomination and that’s about it. Justin Timberlake isn’t better but he has The Social Network on his resume. All Robert Pattinson has is crap.
The backlash here is not against Rob per se. He is a good guy. a decent actor. but these roles belong in the hands of Japanese or at least asian actors! Deviating from the source material is a mistake imho.
They are moving the location to Manhattan. They are leaving the Asian names but no Asian actor being considered?
Riight!
Please Hollywood stay out of animes. I hope they do not get rights to my favourite anime.
It’s about time, love to see some new blood in HW, Pattinson, Pine, and all mentioned represent a welcome change to the cinema.
LOL, I know right, it’s nice to see some new faces. Never seen these guys before….
As others have pointed out – Tetsuo and Kaneda were Japanese. I bet they’ll change the names if they’re white-washing everything else.
As others have NOT pointed out, the original characters are young teenagers – 14 or 15 at most (there’s a line of dialogue in the original that specifies they’re all under 16). They’re juvenile delinquent reform-school kids; it’s a key plot element. Clearly, there are substantial changes to the script in place.
If they changed the names then it would normally be fine. It’s just an adaptation localizing to a different country. The problem with this project, however, is that Akria is iconic in how Japanese it is. You can’t transplant it away from Tokyo and keep the same title. It’s ridiculous.
The age thing is weird too. I mean, none of these guys can really pass for a teen anymore. A couple of them are closer to 40 then 20.
Exactly! Never mind the fact that Japan is half sunk after losing world war 3 and has to deal with the threat of other countries imposing their will on them.
I don’t know whether to be pissed off at Warner Brothers or pissed off at Kodansha for selling the rights of Akira to Hollywood.
I don’t even want to think of what is going to happen to Ghost in the Shell if that ever gets off the ground. Looking at this, hopefully it will never get off the ground.
100% Agreed!
its still going spilgerg is going to produce and it will take place in la
no matter who they cast in this movie it will never good enough for the fanboys. this happens everytime a movie like this comes out. sometimes you wonder who is the worst fanbase, the fangirls or the fanboys.
Timberlake would be a better Tetsuo than Kaneada. That said, this short list proves a mighty hack job is coming.
Seriously? Has Hollywood learned nothing from The Last AirBender debacle? There are plenty of Asian actors who could actually do these roles justice. This makes me sick to my stomach.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” wasn’t exactly an anime. It was a U.S. cartoon produced by two Canadians. If you want to fairly compare the casting choices for “Akira”, go with “Dragonball Evolution”.
Airbender was a series that featured a non-white cast – same as Akira. The comparison is a valid one.
Would it kill WB to cast one Japanese actor in one of the lead roles?
nobody wants leonardo dicaprio or shia lebeuff?