Akira Finally Gets The Greenlight

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dontdiedontkillanyon
dontdiedontkillanyon Members Posts: 10,172 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited October 2011 in Lights, Camera, Action!
Akira Finally Gets The Greenlight
Warners pulls the trigger...
20 October 2011 | Written by James White | Source: Variety

It’s been a long, hard road, littered with the debris of changing directors, rumoured stars and budgetary issues, but it appears Warner Bros. is finally ready to visit Neo Tokyo – or is it New Manhattan now? Yes, according to Variety, the studio has finally greenlit its live-action version of classic anime Akira.

Unknown director Jaume Collet-Serra is the man still sitting in the director’s chair and the budget is apparently down to a more manageable $90 million. The plot finds a bike gang leader dealing with the fallout when his best pal is used in a government experiment to exploit his powerful psychokinetic abilities.

While there’s apparently a start date planned for February/March next year, the cast has yet to be locked. So who could star? Well, Tron Legacy's Garrett Hedlund is apparently in the frame as a likely lead – and at least he has experience with futuristic bikes. Even if they were lightcycles...

Warners nabbed the rights to Katsuhiro Otomo’s beloved animation back in 2008, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way company aboard to produce. The script’s been through numerous drafts, with contributions from Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus, with the latest version penned by Harry Potter veteran Steve Kloves. Albert Hughes was at one point attached to direct and the likes of Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, James Franco, Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron have all been linked with rumours about the lead role.

Will it finally hit screens? And will the studio find the right cast to avoid accusations of “whitewashing” the characters? We’re closer to finding out both…

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32269

Comments

  • Dr.Chemix
    Dr.Chemix Members Posts: 11,816 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    dam yo...you and I are the only ones who know about the Akira project?

    Cats are missing out man...Akira is heavy mentals

    Maybe that's too much since cats thought Inception was trash...

    I'm excited and I'm nervous...excited that one of my favorite animes of all time is coming to the big screen.

    Nervous as hell when I see the 90 mil budget...what corners will be cut?

    I mean, I know they going to have the Kinada's bike...that's no question...

    But what about when Tetsuo's power overtakes him? They gotta do that scene right?

    The vibe, the feel, the neo punk look...

    It's just something about americans taking on a japanese anime that started from a manga

    If it fails, oh well...I got the blu ray anime at home...I'm good...

    Tetsuo...there's a tetsuo in plenty of people...
  • CeLLaR-DooR
    CeLLaR-DooR Members Posts: 18,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    Akira the GOAT

    But I sense a Dragonball Evolution is in the works...
  • TimroD
    TimroD Confirm Email Posts: 1,685 ✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    Dr.Chemix wrote: »
    dam yo...you and I are the only ones who know about the Akira project?

    Cats are missing out man...Akira is heavy mentals

    Maybe that's too much since cats thought Inception was trash...

    I'm excited and I'm nervous...excited that one of my favorite animes of all time is coming to the big screen.

    Nervous as hell when I see the 90 mil budget...what corners will be cut?

    I mean, I know they going to have the Kinada's bike...that's no question...

    But what about when Tetsuo's power overtakes him? They gotta do that scene right?

    The vibe, the feel, the neo punk look...

    It's just something about americans taking on a japanese anime that started from a manga

    If it fails, oh well...I got the blu ray anime at home...I'm good...

    Tetsuo...there's a tetsuo in plenty of people...


    i dont think hollywood will do it justice
    this should be rated r
    sure this will be 3d but maybe that fits this movie
  • gns
    gns Members Posts: 21,285 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    Dr.Chemix wrote: »
    It's just something about americans taking on a japanese anime that started from a manga

    u already know this movie will suck.

    I just read the manga, it was collected in 6 trade paperbacks and i read it in two days. End was a little "huh??" though, but I got what it was saying....I think?!
  • Bcotton5
    Bcotton5 Members Posts: 51,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    not checking for no ? starring white actors
  • bscoop
    bscoop Members Posts: 478 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    not checking for no ? starring white actors

    Cosign.....I saw a preview last night of a moive called Chronicle 2012....I swore up and down it was Akira....but it has similar elements
  • bscoop
    bscoop Members Posts: 478 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdn2uP_BNwM

    Can't say that this doesn't have elements from Akira
  • black caesar
    black caesar Members Posts: 12,036 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    They are about to ? up a classic. SMH It was better when they had Leonardo Dicaprio involved...
  • black caesar
    black caesar Members Posts: 12,036 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    gns wrote: »
    u already know this movie will suck.

    I just read the manga, it was collected in 6 trade paperbacks and i read it in two days. End was a little "huh??" though, but I got what it was saying....I think?!

    The ending was more confusing in the anime. I liked the novels better than the anime. Anime was tough though...
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    I read a review of the potential script for this movie. I'm going to strongly pass on this. If Dragonball Evolution got The Last Airbender pregnant, and The Last Airbender smoked ? throughout the pregnancy, the resulting baby would be what they are peddling for this movie. That's how bad it sounded.
  • gns
    gns Members Posts: 21,285 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    bscoop wrote: »
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdn2uP_BNwM

    Can't say that this doesn't have elements from Akira

    ? actually looks interesting
  • bigev240
    bigev240 Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 10,925 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    I want this to be good but I can see an all white cast in this one with a token asian in it.
  • Bcotton5
    Bcotton5 Members Posts: 51,851 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    i read a review of the potential script for this movie. I'm going to strongly pass on this. If dragonball evolution got the last airbender pregnant, and the last airbender smoked ? throughout the pregnancy, the resulting baby would be what they are peddling for this movie. That's how bad it sounded.

    lmao........
  • chilly
    chilly Members Posts: 1,206 ✭✭
    edited October 2011
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    Just a way to make money off a classic. ? gon more than likely be trash.