This doesn't really deserve to be dwelled upon. We really should just pop open some champagne. A travesty has been averted, as Keanu Reeves has officially passed on the opportunity to play the only teenage rebel in movie history suffering through a mid life crisis. Not long ago we learned that Reeves had been offered the role of Kaneda in Warner Brothers' troubled live-action adaptation of Akira. It was a ridiculous bit of stunt casting by the studio, as they've been desperate to lock down an A-List star to headline the film. All who've been approached have passed, leading to much tension between the studio and director Albert Hughes(Menace II Society
). Joblo got the scoop, but that's hardly an end to the bad news for the production. They also report that WB has fired a number of the staff working on the flick, as well as shutting down the pre-viz department. D'oh! Does that mean Akira is dead? Has everyone decided to quit while they're behind? Not so, says WB...
"Production on ‘Akira’ has not halted or been shut down, as the film has not yet been greenlit and is still very much in the development stage. The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude, and we will continue to sculpt our approach to making the best possible film."
Yeah right. I think this is the beginning of the end if not the outright end. WB has been terrified of the massive budget a film like this would demand. Remember that that the cost was estimated to be around $140M, and so in an effort to trim the fat, they brought in Steve Kloves to do some rewrites. His job was two-fold: cut the cost, and make the story palatable for a star to want to join. Swing and a miss on that latter point.
