A lot happened while I was away, not the least of which is confirmation that Garrett Hedlund has been confirmed for the lead role of hip, rebellious biker Kaneda in Warner Brothers' remake of Akira. A solid, if uninspiring choice. Hedlund was good playing second fiddle to a bunch of flashing lights and Jeff Bridges' Yoda routine in Tron: Legacy, but outside of that he hasn't been all that impressive. At least the film is moving forward, after a horrific casting process that saw every actor under the sun reject the role, and original director Albert Hughes stepping down. With Jaume Collet-Serra(Orphan) now at the helm, the film is speeding right along whether we like it or not, but at least it seems no expense is being spared in casting this thing up.
Last week, Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter were offered roles as the evil Colonel and Lady Miyako in the film, and while no deal has been struck yet, a few new names have entered the picture. THR reports that Keira Knightley has been mentioned for an unspecified role as well. I'm assuming she'd be playing the Americanized version of Kei, an anti-government resistance fighter who becomes an integral piece in the fight against Tetsuo and his exploding psychokinetic powers. It seems unlikely Knightley would play Tetsuo's girlfriend, Kaori, since it's kindof a minor part. Nor does she seem like a fit for one of The Espers, the blue-skinned super powered experiments who join the fight as well.
With Kaneda's part filled, that still leaves Tetsuo, and the names Alden Ehrenreich and Ezra Miller are being mentioned as possibilities. Ehrenreich was fantastic in Francis Ford Coppola's black and white familial squabble flick, Tetro. He was also one of the final contenders for Marc Webb's Spider-Man, which ultimately went to Andrew Garfield. Miller's big breakout will likely come next month for his starring turn opposite Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin, although he was pretty good in City Island a couple of years ago. [THR]
Ehrenreich has the most upside, and he's an actor who could take a part like this and really run with it. Then again whoever wins the role will be a huge gelatinous mass of skin and boils for most of the film, so maybe it doesn't matter.
