After being in on and off development hell, the American live action remake of the famous eighties Japanese manga 'Akira' is finally in the works, and names such as Garrett Hedlund, Gary Oldman, and Helena Bonham Carter are already being rumored to star. But the real question is whether or not this is final, and whether Warner Bros. will take the fans into consideration and at least give some Asian actors a look?
Well, it seems they won't. Unlike the original Akira, the new film will take place in a post apocalyptic Manhattan, rather than Tokyo. And while it might seem a major type cast (He's already played a guy on a motorcycle in a futuristic world, similar to Akira's Kaneda) Tron: Legacy's Garrett Hedlund is the front runner for the lead of Kaneda in the new live action remake film, which definitely fits his resume quite well, as well as him fitting the age range much better than previous candidates.
It doesn't really come as a surprise because Hedlund was also included on a short list of actors for the role not to long ago, which included Star Trek's Chris Pine, X-Men First Class' Michael Fassbender, The Social Network's Justin Timberlake, and the Gladiator's Joaquin Phoenix. While he's a decent choice for Kaneda, he's definitely not the Asian lead people were hoping for. I couldn't envisioned someone like Harold and Kumar's John Cho as Kaneda, and Heroes' Masi Oka as his childhood friend/turned enemy Tetsuo. But hey, it's better than when Zac Efron was being rumored for Kaneda and Robert Pattinson for Tetsuo, right?
Anyway, along Hedlund's possible casting also comes the inclusion of British actor Gary Oldman, and actress Helena Bonham Carter, or as I know them as Bellatrix Lestrange and Sirius Black (Just a little something I noticed). Oldman's being considered for the role of The Colonel who is the on that releases Akira's power in the first place (Which is what destroys Tokyo, or in this case Manhattan) and is probably the most helpful of anyone in the government. Carter is being rumored for the part of Kiyoko, who is one of the Espers which are the three people who were experimented on by the government along with Akira. Oldman seems a decent choice for Colonel, but isn't as big and intimidating as the role demands, while Carter seems an odd choice for Kiyoko since in the film The Espers resemble children, but are really in their forties in the inside. She definitely posses the strangeness of the role, but it's hard to tell whether her actual appearance will modified to fit the part.
And here's the vague synopsis of the film:
Set in New Manhattan, the cyberpunk sci-fi epic follows the leader of a biker gang who must save his friend, discovered with potentially destructive psychokinetic abilities, from government medical experiments
While fans still might not be seeing the bright sides of the Akira remake, there's no doubt that the film is bringing in some pretty big names and talents. We can only hope that Akira doesn't follow in the path of The Last Airbender, which was basically a beloved anime turned in to an crappy movie, with a practically all American cast. So before you complain about the new Akira, just keep up with the casting and reserve your judgement till the release.
Set in New Manhattan, the cyberpunk sci-fi epic follows the leader of a biker gang who must save his friend, discovered with potentially destructive psychokinetic abilities, from government medical experiments
What do you think of the Akira casting? Do you agree with Warner Bros. choices?
