The Variety entertainment trade magazine is reporting on Wednesday that Warner Bros. has green-lit the live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. Production on what Variety describes as a "potential tentpole project" is set to begin in late February or early March. (A "tentpole" franchise is a property which will, in theory, support a studio financially for much of a particular movie season.)
According to Variety, the film's current story goes as follows: "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."
Variety had reported in July that Warner hired director Jaume Collett-Serra (Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax) to direct the film, which was "being reenvisioned as a $90 million" blockbuster project. In May, previous director Albert Hughes left the project due to "creative differences" on the film.
The development team with producer Andrew Lazar (Jonah Hex, Space Cowboys, Get Smart) hired a writer named Albert Torres last year, after screenwriters Gary Whitta, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby were previously attached to the project. When the project was originally announced in 2008, it was intended to be the directorial debut for Ireland's Ruairi Robinson. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Aviator) is producing through his Appian Way production company.
So after 3 years of debating, looks like they're actually going through with it.
I knew it was going to be bad, a shame too, such a beloved and influential anime and manga....Westernising something like Akira is never going to end well.
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The Twitch entertainment news site reported on Sunday that Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy, Harry Potter films, Dark Knight trilogy) and Helena Bonham-Carter (A Room with a View, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The King's Speech) have been offered the roles of Colonel and Lady Miyako, respectively, in Warner's live-action film adaptation of Akira. Variety had reported that Garrett Hedlund, the star of last year's Tron: Legacy film, is a frontrunner for one of Akira's two male leads, although he has not been formally offered the role.
Variety also reported that production on the live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga is set to begin in late February or early March. According to the magazine, the film's current story goes as follows: "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."
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at October 23, 2011, 08:30pm
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I am curious what they have to say about Chronicle, the film I posted the trailer for above, and its similar plot. If I was producing Akira, I would be mighty pissed about it right now, since it looks like a blatant rip off.
We can save this ill-fated race
Who are lost in the ocean of space
Show them the way to reverse their decline
Guide them back on a river of time
I am curious what they have to say about Chronicle, the film I posted the trailer for above, and its similar plot. If I was producing Akira, I would be mighty pissed about it right now, since it looks like a blatant rip off.
You could always write WB and ask.
Though I doubt they'd actually tell you anything, even if they thought something.
Warner Bros. Approaches Keira Knightley for Role in "Akira"
No character specified, so let's play "having fun with speculation"
November 03, 2011 6:54pm PDT (2 hours ago)
Word comes via The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog that the latest actress to be approached concerning a role in Warner Bros.' live-action Akira film is none other than Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean, Domino). The role in question was not specified.
Just earlier today Variety confirmed Tron Legacy's Garrett Hedlund as being in talks with Warner to play the lead of the Jaume Collet-Serra directed film. Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter, while not confirmed, were tossed into the ring of possibilities a couple weeks ago.
As for Knightley, let's have some fun with speculation, because we don't really know that particular roles from Katsuhiro Otomo's source material will even make it into the film. Our best guess? We're gonna go with Kei, tough female member of the terrorist resistance movement with whom Kaneda develops a strong relationship.
Tetsuo's girl Kaori is always a possibility, though less likely. Instead, with today's expert CG and makeup craft at work within Akira's generous $90 million budget, we'd like to see Knightley go all Esper as #25, Kiyoko.
Or we could just be WAY off and Keira Knightley will end up signing on to play a more organic, high concept version of Kaneda's famous bike. In all seriousness, which role do you see Knightley suited for, if any?
Variety Confirms "Tron: Legacy" Star Garrett Hedlund in Line to Play "Akira" Lead
Akira Adaptation Locks in on Its Kaneda
Entertainment industry trade publication Variety has confirmed that Tron: Legacy's Garrett Hedlund is in talks with Warner Brothers to play the Kaneda equivalent role in the studio's live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal anime/manga Akira. The casting has been the subject of buzz since the project was greenlit last month, but WB is now pulling the trigger on that orbital laser blast. No offer was made at the time because a budget had yet to be set.
Variety describes the Warner Brothers Akira project:
WB acquired the tentpole project for a seven-figure sum from Japanese manga publisher Kodansha in 2008. 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.
Jaume Collet-Serra is on board to helm with Steve Kloves writing the latest version of the script. Appian Way's Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran are producing with Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar.
The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine reported on Friday that Ezra Miller and Alden Eherenreich are among the top contenders for the pivotal role of Tetsuo in Warner Brothers' live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. The magazine describes Tetsuo as "a young man with telekinetic abilities who becomes a dangerous weapon."
18-year-old Miller starred in the independent thriller We Need To Talk About Kevin and co-starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the 2012 film that Stephen Chbosky is directing from his own novel. He also appeared in recurring roles in the television series Californication and Royal Pains.
21-year-old Eherenreich starred in Francis Ford Coppola's drama film Tetro in 2009. He also appeared in television guest roles in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Supernatural.
Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother and leader of a motorcycle gang" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy), and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
Another trade magazine, Variety, reported that Jaume Collett-Serra (Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax) is set to begin directing the live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga in late February or early March. According to Variety, the film's current story goes as follows: "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."
The Actors Access, a website for acting employment opportunities, posted casting calls for two characters in Appian Way and Warner Brothers' live-action Akira film on October 24. The site posted another casting call for a third character on November 3.
The October 24 casting call goes as follows:
Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, 4:59 PM Pacific
AKIRA
Feature Film
SAG
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Feature Film Writer: David James Kelly
Producers: Appian Way
Casting Director: Ronna Kress
SAG Casting Assistant: Hannah d?Angerio
Start Date: March 2012
Location: Vancouver
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY.
WE DELETE EMAIL PITCHES TO OUR OFFICE
[ TETSUO ]
Male; any ethnicity, 20-25 years old; strung out, intense, street rat. (LEAD)
[ KY ]
Female; 20-30 years old; any ethnicity; tough, sexy, strong willed, street savvy. (LEAD)
The November 3 casting call is as follows:
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011, 10:24 AM Pacific
Addendum to 10/24 4:59 PM
AKIRA (Additional Role)
Feature Film
SAG
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Writer: David James Kelly
Producers: Appian Way
Casting Director: Ronna Kress
Casting Assistant: Hannah d?Angerio, Emma Sands-Milsom
Start Date: March 2012
Location: Vancouver
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY.
WE DELETE EMAIL PITCHES TO OUR OFFICE
[ YAMAGATA ]
Male, 20 to 30 years old, Japanese-American. (LEAD)
The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine reported on Friday that Ezra Miller and Alden Ehrenreich are among the top contenders for the pivotal role of Tetsuo in this live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy), and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
According to Variety, the film's current story goes as follows: "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."
The Twitch website is reporting on Tuesday that Kristen Stewart (Twilight) has been offered the lead female role of Kei in Warner Brothers' live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. In Warner's film, Kei is described as "a young medium who becomes the love interest for Kaneda."
The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine reported earlier this month that Ezra Miller and Alden Ehrenreich are among the top contenders for the pivotal role of Tetsuo in this live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy), and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
Actor Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) told the Moviefone website that he will not play role of Tetsuo in Warner Brothers' live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. He said in a phone interview with the site, "It's not true. That, I can assure you, will not be a reality." He added, "It's a beautiful Japanese epic and I think it'll be a very entertaining, fun film, but no, it's not my next move."
The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine reported on November 4 that Miller and Alden Ehrenreich are among the top contenders for the pivotal role of Tetsuo. As in the manga, the magazine describes Tetsuo as "a young man with telekinetic abilities who becomes a dangerous weapon."
The Twitch website reported on Tuesday that actress Kristen Stewart (Twilight, The Runaways, Snow White and the Huntsman) has been offered the lead female role of Kei. The Hollywood Reporter trade magzine's Heat Vision blog said later that day the role was renamed Ky Reed, "a woman who is part of an underground movement to expose the government for turning orphans into living weapons."
Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy), and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine listed the actors who are screen-testing for the role of Tetsuo in Warner Brothers' live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga:
Paul Dano
(Cowboys & Aliens, There Will Be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine)
Alden Ehrenreich
(Tetro, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Supernatural)
Logan Marshall-Green
(M. Night Shyamalan-produced Devil, Ridley Scott's Prometheus)
Toby Kebbell
(RocknRolla, War Horse, The Conspirator's John Wilkes Booth)
Richard Madden
(Game of Thrones' Robb Stark)
Rami Malek
(The Pacific, Twilight: Breaking Dawn—Part 2)
Michael Pitt
(Boardwalk Empire)
According to the magazine, Warner wants to cast the role before Thanksgiving, but after the actors undergo screen tests on Sunday and Monday. As in the manga, the magazine describes Tetsuo as "a young man with telekinetic abilities who becomes a dangerous weapon." Another actor, Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), told the Moviefone website that he will not play Tetsuo, although he praised the original work.
The Twitch website reported on Tuesday that actress Kristen Stewart (Twilight, The Runaways, Snow White and the Huntsman) has been offered the lead female role of Kei. The Hollywood Reporter trade magzine's Heat Vision blog said later that day the role was renamed Ky Reed, "a woman who is part of an underground movement to expose the government for turning orphans into living weapons."
Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy), and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
MTV News posted an interview with Gary Oldman (Dark Knight trilogy) on Monday that included a few questions about Oldman's offer for a role in Warner Brothers' live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. Oldman said in the interview that he did know know yet whether he was going to act in the film. When asked if he thought the script was interesting, Oldman said "Yeah, but, we'll see, I'm open at the moment." The Twitch entertainment news site had reported last month that Oldman had been offered the role of Colonel in the film.
On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter entertainment trade magazine listed the actors who are screen-testing for the role of Tetsuo in the film. According to the magazine, Warner wants to cast the role before Thanksgiving, but after the actors undergo screen tests on Sunday and Monday.
The Twitch website reported last Tuesday that actress Kristen Stewart (Twilight, The Runaways, Snow White and the Huntsman) has been offered the lead female role of Kei. The Hollywood Reporter trade magzine's Heat Vision blog said later that day the role was renamed Ky Reed, "a woman who is part of an underground movement to expose the government for turning orphans into living weapons."
Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) is in talks for the other lead role of Kaneda, which The Hollywood Reporter described as Tetsuo's "older brother" in Warner's film. The Twitch website and The Hollywood Reporter previously said that Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Oldman, and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean films) have all been approached for roles.
Acting Auditions, an employment resource for actors, posted a plot description for the live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga on Tuesday. The short description was sent out as part of a casting call for extras and stand-ins in the film.
The description is as follows:
Kaneda is a bar owner in Neo-Manhattan who is stunned when his brother, Tetsuo, is abducted by government agents led by The Colonel.
Desperate to get his brother back, Kaneda agrees to join with Ky Reed and her underground movement who are intent on revealing to the world what truly happened to New York City thirty years ago when it was destroyed. Kaneda believes their theories to be ludicrous but after finding his brother again, is shocked when he displays telekinetic powers.
Ky believes Tetsuo is headed to release a young boy, Akira, who has taken control of Tetsuo's mind. Kaneda clashes with The Colonel's troops on his way to stop Tetsuo from releasing Akira but arrives too late. Akira soon emerges from his prison courtesy of Tetsuo as Kaneda races in to save his brother before Akira once again destroys Manhattan island, as he did thirty years ago.
Acting Auditions listed the following actors and actresses as having been cast in the film; however, the website provided no source for the news:
• Kristen Stewart as Ky • Garret Hedlund as Kaneda • Helena Bonham-Carter as Lady Miyako • Ken Watanabe as The Colonel
The Twitch entertainment news site reported earlier this month that Warner Brothers offered Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Inception) and Kristen Stewart (Twilight, The Runaways, Snow White and the Huntsman) the roles of Colonel and Ky, respectively, and it reported in October that Helena Bonham-Carter (A Room with a View, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The King's Speech) had been offered the role of Lady Miyako. The Hollywood Reporter trade magazine reported earlier this month that Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Country Strong, Friday Night Lights) was in negotiations with Warner Bros. for the role of Kaneda.
Actress Helena Bonham-Carter (A Room with a View, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The King's Speech) told MTV News on Wednesday that she has not decided whether to be in Warner's live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. The actress spoke with MTV News on the red carpet at The 2011 Britannia Awards in Los Angeles:
I have read the script, and I haven't really decided yet. I don't know yet what I'm going to do next. […] I'm not really going to talk about it until I've decided whether to do it or not.
The Twitch entertainment news site reported in October that she had been offered the role of Lady Miyako. Acting Auditions, an employment resource for actors, listed her in the role, but provided no source for the listing.
Twitch also reported last month that Warner Brothers offered Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Inception) and Kristen Stewart (Twilight, The Runaways, Snow White and the Huntsman) the roles of Colonel and Ky, respectively. The Hollywood Reporter trade magazine reported last month that Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Country Strong, Friday Night Lights) was in negotiations with Warner Bros. for the role of Kaneda.
The Hollywood Reporter trade magazine's Heat Vision blog is reporting on Thursday that the live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga is being shut down because of "casting and budgetary issues." According to the website, the film's production offices in Vancouver will be closed, and "below-the-line" staff (those who work on film's physical production) have been "told to stop working."
The site reports that, according to insiders, if the project's issues cannot be resolved, it "could end up being shelved entirely." Producers Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Andrew Lazar, along with director Jaume Collet-Serra, will work on revising the film's script for the next two weeks. According to the site, Collet-Serra was working on a US$90 million budget for the film, but now needs to cut the budget down to between US$60-US$70 million to keep it going.
Warner Bros. officially green-lit the film for production in October. The Variety entertainment trade magazine project had described the film as a "potential tentpole project," and it was slated to begin production in late February or early March. (A "tentpole" franchise is a property which will, in theory, support a studio financially for much of a particular movie season.)
Variety had reported in July that Warner hired director Collett-Serra (Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax) to direct the film, which was "being reenvisioned as a $90 million" blockbuster project. In May, previous director Albert Hughes left the project due to "creative differences" on the film.
The development team with producer Lazar (Jonah Hex, Space Cowboys, Get Smart) hired a writer named Albert Torres last year, after screenwriters Gary Whitta, Mark Fergus, and Hawk Ostby were previously attached to the project. When the project was originally announced in 2008, it was intended to be the directorial debut for Ireland's Ruairi Robinson. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Aviator) is producing through his Appian Way production company.
The entertainment trade magazine Variety and the film news website Deadline.com reported that the end is not near for the live-action Akira film, even though pre-production is being shut down for now.
Warner Bros. wants the current script draft, which was written by David James Kelly, to be reworked. Deadline.com added the studio will quickly hire "a high-end writer to do a polish" on the script before deciding whether to resume the project or not. Variety named Jonah Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises) and Michael Green (Green Lantern) as possible candidates, but emphasized that no rewriting job has actually been offered yet. Studio sources did tell Variety that the script and cast are the issues, not the US$90-million budget.
According to Deadline, the Warner Bros. studio had option deals with two acting candidates for the central role of Tetsuo, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, True Blood, far left) and Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire,. left) However, both of their options deals ended today, so the actors are no longer legally bound to keep their schedules open for Akira. (Production would have started on March 5 before the shutdown.)
Warner Bros. officially green-lit the film for production in October with director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax). When the project was originally announced in 2008, it was intended to be the directorial debut for Ireland's Ruairi Robinson. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Aviator) is producing through his Appian Way production company.
In a recent interview with IFC Fix, actor Toby Kebbell (RocknRolla, War Horse, The Conspirator's John Wilkes Booth) not only confirmed the report that he was named as a candidate to play Tetsuo in the currently halted live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga, but also gave his thoughts on the series, explaining how he disagreed with creative choices made with regards to the adaptation process.
In the interview, Kebbell states that when he was approached with the role, he mentioned that he had read the entire manga in the past, and suggested that the manga's six volumes be adapted into as many as three films, so that "my [Kebbell's] character, Tetsuo, is not the lead [...] He's not the second lead, and he's not the third or the fourth lead, because there are eight major characters there. You've got great young actors, and you could get them in there. That's the way to do it if you want to do sequels."
He also noted that the studio's reaction to his suggestion was not particularly positive, which caused him to reply that if their plans were to create a live-action remake of the anime, he was not interested, because "[the anime adaptation] is perfect and you're not going to do it dark enough — so therefore, I don't want to do it."
Kebbell also expressed his anger at some of the other creative choices that were to be made in the adaptation, such as the decision to make two of the lead characters of the film, Tetsuo and Kanada, into brothers. He said that his reaction to hearing this was to tell the producers, "The point is that Tetsuo can't comprehend how someone who isn't his brother could love him so much — and that's where his wrath and his rage come from. Do you not see that? Why have you made them brothers? What the [f--k] are you doing?"
Though the live-action Akira project has now stalled, Kebbell says in the interview that he hopes that if it does get made, they will adapt the full manga, though he also says that he does not expect the film's producers to be interested in working with him again.
Hmmmmm if I was to take a wild stab in the dark and make an educated guess....this is not only going to be shit, but its going to fuck off a lot of people.
Now history is something to go by, what usually happens to the finished product of a Japanese film, manga, or anime after Hollywood American hacks have finished Westernising and mainstreaming it ? Thats right, its utter and total shit.
Akira is to Manga, what LotR is to fantasy (well maybe not, if you wan`t to get technical, its most likely Metropolis, or Astro Boy, but you get the general idea). Its a revered classic, something so endeared to so many people, in and outside of Japan. Here we have a very Japanese manga, with very Japanese concepts and characters about to be absolutely raped by yet another hollywood hack writer and a senseless studio.
I facepalmed when I read they were casting Western actors, I rage laughed when I read who the writer was....I despaired when I learnt more. This is not the case of just buttfucking a rinkydink manga/anime like DBZ, or Naruto, this is fucking Akira. Its even worse then Americans westernising Ghost In The Shell, or Appleseed. This is not going to help how people view mainstream hollywood at all.
50 bucks says then even fuck up Kaneda`s motorcycle design.
Then they`l buttfuck their version even more by fuckarsing around with a radio friendly soundtrack, don`t be too suprised if you hear derp step, or maybe even Linkin Park in there.
Expect to RAGE a lot. Somethings are meant to stay Japanese, they really are.
I`m not saying Western directors can`t do a good adaption of a Japanese manga, or anime, but its just unlikely as they wan`t to market it to a new Western audience, quite possibly losing its dark edge and twistedness.
