For awhile there it seemed as if the live-action Akira film was dead in the water. A fierce battle was taking place between director Albert Hughes(Menace II Society
) and Warner Brothers/Legendary over who would star. Hughes wanted to pick whoever he thought was best, while the studio wanted an A-lister. Meanwhile everyone approached about the film turned it down. Add to that the desire to trim the massive, pricey script down and Akira was basically at a standstill.Enter Steve Kloves, the Harry Potter screenwriter brought in to rewrite the script while still maintaining the scope of Katsuhiro Otomo's epic 6-volume manga. Deadline reports that the script is now completed, and has wowed everyone so much that they're being sent out to actors for consideration.
There are two major roles in the film. Tetsuo, the ex-biker "saved" from a medical experiment who develops awesome psychic powers. For that role scripts were sent out to Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy. For Kaneda, Tetsuo's best friend and gang leader, the script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix.
I've been skeptical of this film since day one because I'm such a huge fan of the 1988 anime. But Michael Fassbender and Andrew Garfield would be a perfect pairing, and I really want to see The Hughes Brothers nail a mainstream hit.
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