Contrary to the wishes of many of its most outspoken fans, Akira; the famed 1988 sci-fi anime movie; will soon be getting the Hollywood treatment, via a Warner Bros. live-action remake that may place The Matrix’s Keanu Reeves as its leading man, Kaneda.
Keanu hasn’t yet received an offer to star in the movie, but has reportedly held talks with the studio (that have apparently gone quite well) about starring as Kaneda; the leader of a biker gang who attempts to save his best friend from a terrifying medical experiment; a role that’s previously been circled by a number of big-name actors, including James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Fassbender, and Robert Pattinson.
So despite the run of production problems that have seen Warner Bros. so far unable to lock-in a star, and commissioning a number of re-writes, it looks as though Akira is finally going ahead, and could have one of its leading men finally cast; a decision they hope will then draw in another A-list star to appear as the second lead, Tetsuo (Kaneda’s best friend).
Matt Wheeldon.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
