Jaume Collet-Serra Talks AKIRA Vision And Reaffirms Trilogy

Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra's is slowly rising to the level of studio blockbuster. His first batch of films included horror flicks House of Wax and Orphan, the usual type of films a new director get's offered in Hollywood. He's recently found a muse in Liam Neeson directing him in the awfully dull Unknown, this weekend's trapped-on-a-plane thriller Non-Stop and action flick Run All Night.

Non-Stop hits theatres this weekend, and I've actually heard nothing but positive things about it. Bloggers such as Devin (BadassDigest), El Mayimbe (LatinoReview) and Frosty (Collider), have given brief but positive reactions from their recent screenings. Folks like these usually have a good radar for poorly made films, so their keenness for the film is a good sign.

Why it a good sign? Before Non-Stop and Run All Night were put into production, Jaume was attached to direct Warner Bros' live-action Akira adaptation back in 2011. A much beloved manga and anime film, which some consider the best in both mediums. The budget had been reduced a couple of times, but the $90 million was too expensive for the studio. The director would confirm last year that he was still going ahead with directing Akira, after he completed Run All Night. He talked to ComingSoon about his vision for the film, which might win over fans or just anger them (over comments of the "terrible" characters). Jaume also confirms previous talk of Akira being turned into a trilogy.


Collet-Serra: It's great that they're waiting for me. It's different, because you have to be respectful of the source material. Otomo adapted his own work from a manga into an anime and both things are completely different and genius. The only way to do a live version of "Akira" is to take the spirit and adapt it. It will be as different as the anime was from the manga.

CS: What worries myself and a lot of the other fans of the property is you have elements that are commercial and sexy, like the motorbikes or the jaw-dropping futuristic backdrop, but for the most part it's a very cerebral work. How do you maintain the essence of that without diluting it into essentially "Blade Runner: Mark 2"?

Collet-Serra: I think you cannot make a movie about "Akira" and hope that everyone understands it. Like everything else, you have to make three or four movies in one where there's the essence somewhere. If you're a fan, you already know what it's about and you'll see it's part of the same world, but trying to oversimplify it would be a mistake. I think if at some point a character tries to explain it to the audience at the end of the second act, that's a problem. It's more like an existential opera. It's something that can only be explained in the manga, and even in the anime it's hard to follow.

CS: And we all have that original anime, it's there, nothing can sully it, so if you were going to do it in live-action one would hope you would bring something new to the table. What is it you are bringing specifically that is going to make it yours?

Collet-Serra: I hope that I can bring strong characters. In the original source material, I don't think the main characters are the protagonists. What I'm hoping is to bring characters.

CS: That's true. It's one of those strange stories where you literally never see the main character that is the namesake of the film!

Collet-Serra: Nobody's interesting. Tetsuo's interesting because weird sh*t happens to him, and Kaneda is so two-dimensional. That's part of the Japanese culture, they never have strong characters. They're used as a way to move the other philosophy forward.

CS: They're ciphers.

Collet-Serra: Yeah. So hopefully in my version that will be strong, and you'll have a story that happens in that world that will show you a little bit of the mystery. Then, if you're interested, they'll make "Akira 2 & 3" then you can get deeper into it. I love the world, a lot of people love that world, so why wouldn't we indulge in it a little bit and see how it would be if it was real? Like you say I don't have to explain everything, but wouldn't you like to spend two-hours in a world of "Akira" and follow a character and be like, "that's cool"? That's all I want to offer, is two-hours in a world you can actually feel. We're working on it.


I wasn't convinced when Doug Liman (Bourne Identity, Mr And Mrs Smith) was hired to direct Edge of Tomorrow, which is another manga adaptation based on All You Need Is Kill. The recent trailer has sold me on the film. I'll hold off judgements on Jaume making Akira, until we see some footage and images from the project. Because it could be a very similar situation, and he might actually have an unique vision for the film. 

Casting has always been a bit of a hot-topic with Akira, as Warner Bros. was exclusively looking at young white actors. Whitewashing the cast and relocating the Japanese-set (very important to the story) story to Manhattan. At one point Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, On The Road, Mojave, Unbroken, Inside Llewyn Davis) was offered the lead role (via Twitch) with Gary Oldman (Robocop, Dark Knight Trilogy, Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, Lawless) and Helena Bonham Carter (King's Speech, Terminator Salvation, Fight Club, Lone Ranger) also in the mix.

Hedlund recently tried to nab the John Connor role in Termination: Genesis, which would include a three-picture deal. He instead signed-on for the part of Hook in WB's Peter Pan origin film Pan from director Joe Wright (Hanna, Atonement), alongside Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard. Some are saying that Garrett might still be attached for Akira, but I'm not entirely convinced.


SOURCE: COMINGSOON

Director Jaume Collet-Serra In Talks To Resurrect Live-Action AKIRA Film

Variety reports that Warner Bros. is looking to bring their Akira live-action film out of development limbo with a little help from director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, Non Stop). The director is currently in talks with the studio to helm the troubled project. It's reported that production on Akira could begin as early as Spring 2014. Garret Hedlund was attached in the lead but it's unknown if he'll stay on as the film's lead.

MGM Will Help GK FIlms Make The TOMB RAIDER Reboot, Will Olivia Wilde Or Camilla Luddington Play Lara Croft With Mark Fergus Directing?

Deadline reports that MGM has purchased the film rights to GK Films' Tomb Raider reboot. The film has been in development for a couple of years now with a script from Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (Iron Man, Children of Men, Akira). The new film will have more in common with the recent game which reboots the entire franchise in a more grounded world. CinePop had reported on a rumor that Olivia Wilde (Tron Legacy) had been linked for the role of Lara Croft and screenwriter Mark Fergus (First Snow) for the director's chair. However, that was back in 2011 things could have chanced since then.

It's possible the studio could look to actress Camilla Luddington (Californication) who did all the voice and motion capture for new the game. The rebooted origin from the game will be the basis for the new films. She could develop into a franchise star such as Chris Hemsworth was for Thor. Since the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider brand might be big enough to sell the film without a massively well known actress in role.

Chris Pine Open To Joining STAR WARS EPISODE VII?

In January, LucasFilm will make an announcement concerning Star Wars Episode VII (director). However, while we've heard about old cast memebers like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Samuel L. Jackson and Ewan McGregor open to returning. We haven't heard much in the way of new faces for the film. Actor Chris Pine was asked by Empire (via CBM) if he'd be interested in having a role in the new Star Wars franchise. Pine states he's already committed to three Star Trek films but says there is room for both. Abrams in the same interview says there were early talks to direct the new films and confirms again he ultimately bowed out.

"I'm committed to three. That's the contract I signed. And as far as I know, everyone else is in the same situation. But there's obviously room for both Star Trek and Star Wars," he added. "We both have plenty of things to offer sci-fi. But I'm not saying any more that that! There are more than enough Star Wars stories around at the moment!" 

It's possible he could do both considering Star Trek 3 is still currently only in early development stages with it's script. Reports claim that pre-production on Episode VII will begin in the Spring, so casting will likely we starting soon. The writers for Star Trek 3 are currently busy with other scripts, so it's possible Pine could shoot Episode VII before Trek 3 even has a finished script. Chris has previously been linked for post-Star Trek leads in Akira (now dead) and was a contender for Captain America (Joe Johnston, a rumored candidate to direct Ep. VII). Most recently taking up the Jack Ryan mantel in the new untitled Kenneth Branagh (Thor) directed movie. We've seen actors take on multiple franchise roles most famously Harrison Ford who took on iconic parts as Jack Ryan (Pine plays him in the new film), Han Solo and Indiana Jones. So having Pine play a bunch of roles in high-profile projects isn't exactly a stretch.

WHAT IF: Concept Art For WB's Axed AKIRA Film

Five Projects That Could Use Some Joss Whedon Magic

Now that Joss Whedon's Avengers is quickly on it's way to become one of the biggest films of all-time. Whedon will likely be getting dozens of offers from other studios with the hope of creating a new franchise or rebooting old ones. Hopefully this new success solidifies Joss as a feature film director and he keeps making large scaled films. A bunch of budding projects and ones stuck in development limbo could use some Whedon magic.

AKIRA: This horribly handled adaptation by Warner Bros. had recently put on hold when the studio couldn't lock down a budget. One of the bigger issues was that the film would have almost zero similarities to the original manga and anime. Changing the characters (white-washing casting) and setting to be completely Americanized rather than embracing it's Japanese roots. Whedon has proven he's able to faithfully adapt similar material while creating more of cinematic scope and balls out action. An Akira film needs thrilling action set pieces and solid three dimensional characters which Joss could deliver with a brand new script.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: MOTU is finally back in the works thanks to Universal. Whedon's stunning Cabin In The Woods script proves he could handle something like this. If you seen the film you know what I'm talking about. It could even use the satirical elements that were used in Cabin since it's going to be tough to make a serious He-Man film without going along with the joke.

GHOST IN THE SHELL: Yet another another manga/anime project that's been in development for ages. Dreamworks and producer Steven Spielberg haven't really done much with this besides hiring Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Battle Angel) to write a script a few years back. I feel that Whedon could really knock this out of the park with being able to create strong female leads and supporting casts. Plus his background with Firefly means he can create a sci-fi focused futuristic world.

FLASH GORDON: Gordon has to be one of the greatest swashbuckling characters ever created. It's last live-action film made in the 80's is considered one of the best camp science fiction films ever made. The tongue-and-cheek action flick seems like a perfect project for Joss and seems like he could spread his wings creatively in the process. A script and director had been put together for a new film back in 2010 but nothing has come of it.

HALO: One of the biggest missed opportunities has to be this video game adaptation as at one point with both Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium) and Rupert Sanders (Snow White And The Huntsman) had been attached to direct the film. The two budding directors had directed popular live-action Halo commercials before jump into their own franchises. Blomkamp actually had started pre-production on it before the studio and Microsoft shut it down. Sanders had been more rumored but he would eventually remove himself from the running as he's now focusing on a Huntsman spin-off to Snow White And The Huntsman. I'm sure a new Halo film with Joss Whedon directing and handling the script could spark another bidding war to make it.

Actor Toby Kebbell Talks Akira, Confirming It Was Stupid

During an interview with IFC during the promotion of Wrath of The Titans British actor Toby Kebbell commented on the now on-hold Akira. Toby had been in the mix for the role of Tetsuo, giving the impression he turned it down because it was a creative nightmare. Considering he's a fan he called the studio out on their many many mistakes on the adaptation.


“They were like, ‘This is going to be a big franchise!’” he explained. “So I said, ‘Then in that case, understand that I’ve read the comics, and I’ve read the comics that got turned into the annuals, and then the annuals that got turned into the one-off anime. So if you really want to do it, then why don’t you look at the six comics and just put two into each film?’”


 “They were like, ‘Welllll…’” he shrugged. “So I told them, ‘Then this is a remake [of the animated movie], and I don’t want to do a live-action remake of the cartoon, because [the cartoon] is perfect and you’re not going to do it dark enough — so therefore, I don’t want to do it.”


 “I was desperate to play Tetsuo, but Tetsuo in the comic and annual form,” he explained. “He’s brilliant in the anime, but if you know anything about the comics, they cut so much of the story out. You care about him, because it’s brilliantly done, but you don’t really care about Kaneda, who isn’t.” 


 “The other thing they wanted to do was make [Tetsuo and Kaneda] brothers,” he continued. “I was like, ‘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 fuck are you doing?’”

Russell Crowe Could Star In Dracula Film Harker

Vulture reports on yet another project Aussie actor Russell Crowe could be joining. This time it's for Warner Bros' new take on the classic Stoker tale of Dracula titled Harker. Instead of Jonathan Harker being a lawyer he's a Scotland Yard detective investigating Dracula's murders in London. It seems to be a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper which could be worthwhile reason to make another Dracula film. Crowe is in early talks to take the title role of Detective Harker. It's not a done deal yet as Crowe is also looking at starring in Darren Aronofsky's Noan this summer. However, a production start for Harker hasn't been announced so he could be able to do both.

Jaume Collet-Serra, (Unknown) who was originally attached to the project before agreeing to direct Akira has seemly come back to helm. Akira had a long string of problems from casting, budgets, directors and scripts. Warner Bros. put the project on hold. It looks the studio has given Jaume another task while they figure out what to do with Akira. I'm not shocked as Harker is a more viable/profitable project with an interesting take on the classic Dracula tale. Apparently the studio still wants to make Akira but Harker will go first.

Die Hard 5 Role Down To Two Actors?

Recently is was reported by Deadline that four actors were in the running to play John McClane's (Willis) son in A Good Day To Die Hard. They included James Badge Dale (The Departed, The Pacific), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games) and DJ Cotrona (G.I. Joe 2). The part is expected to be important as the new actor could possibly continue the franchise for an aging Bruce Willis. James seems to have chosen playing Armie Hammer's brother in The Lone Ranger instead. Aaron Paul has stated to ThePlaylist that his involvement would conflict with the shooting of the final season of Breaking Bad.

"It kept going back and forth and back and forth but at the end of the day I don't know if the role was offered to me if I'd be able to do it because of scheduling conflicts with 'Breaking Bad.' "


This news can only suggest that both James and Aaron are out of the picture. Leaving Liam and D.J. as the final candidates. Liam recently worked with Willis on the Expendables 2 and has a bit of a following since being cast in Hunger Games. Hemsworth also has a heist project in the works that could co-star Dwayne Johnson. His action star creditability is slowly creeping up to match his brother's.

Controna previously worked with Bruce as well on G.I. Joe: Retaliation which could help his odds. The only problem is that while he might be cheap to hire he doesn't have name recognition like Liam does. D.J. was linked with a number of other actors testing for the role of Tetsuo in Warner Bros' Akira. He could end up joining that project instead leaving the role vacant for Hemsworth. A production start is looming as 20th Century Fox has set the release date for February 14th 2013.

Jonathan Nolan Might Rewrite Akira Script

Variety has expanded on their original tweet involving Warner Bros. looking to rewrite Steve Kloves' (Harry Potter films) script for Akira. They mention that the studio is currently looking at Jonathan Nolan and Michael Green for the rewriting job. Nolan is the younger brother of Christopher Nolan and is responsible for helping him write films like Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and the upcoming Dark Knight Rises. The former of which earned the screenwriter an Oscar nomination. Michael on the other hand is mostly known for television work and last summer's biggest flop Green Lantern. He apparently was hired to write a sequel to Green Lantern (why?) and for an adaptation of The Flash. The Nolan name could bring some much needed pedigree to the ailing project. Which in turn could attract better known and established actors to the cast.

Warner Bros. Can't Decide On Akira's Second Lead Actor

Deadline reports another reason Warner Bros. has put Akira on hold is that they can't figure out who should play Tetsuo and the actors are free to walk from the project if they want to. The two actors in question are Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire, The Dreamers) and Dane DeHaan (In Treatment, True Blood, Chronicle) their testing options have expired so they are currently free to go after other projects.

The character is basically the meatiest role of the picture as Tetsuo goes from nerdy gangland biker to a psychotic villain with overwhelming superpowers. Yet, I'm unsure what bastardized version of Tetsuo we'll end up seeing in the film since Kaneda is now a bartender/bar owner instead of a punk biker. Out of the two I have to go with Pitt as he's been wonderful on the first two seasons of Boardwalk Empire. However, Dane DeHaan's upcoming superpower film Chronicle is gathering a lot of buzz.

Akira In Trouble, Script Issues And Budget Cuts

HeatVision reports that Warner Bros. is putting another project on ice until a new budget is worked out. Previously Aurthur And Lancelot had been on hold until a new budget was agreed upon. Akira is undergoing the same budget review. The project already had it's original budget (when director Albert Huges was attached) cut in half to a rather slim $90 million. Most tentpole comedies have a budget similar to that number. They report the studio wants that number trimmed to $60-70 I'm sure that is to cover marketing and advertising costs. Variety has it on good authority that the project-freeze is also because of Steve Kloves' (Harry Potter franchise) script which needs reworking and more development.

I can see where the studio is coming from Garrett Hundland is the only locked in actor and it's deviation from the source material has become volatile to the fanbase. I'm unsure Akira can be a success without support from fans of the manga/anime who are talking of boycotting the movie. Cutting the budget this aggressively gives the impression that the special effects budget of the film will be will likely suffer. I wouldn't be surprised to see this film look more contemporary and the science fiction elements also scaled back. Basically I assume this movie won't look anything like we understand to be from Akira.

Casting other roles has become another problem as names like Ken Watanabe, Kristen Stewart, Helena Bonham Carter have been mentioned but nobody has signed on. The biggest issue is that they haven't nailed down an actor for Testuo. Micheal Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Toby Kebbell (RockNRolla), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) and Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus) were linked for testing for the part but nothing has come from it yet. There have been rounds and rounds of casting tests which haven't been that productive.

Ken Watanabe Offered Role In Akira

Twitch reports that Gary Oldman has turned down the role of the Colonel in Akira. Oldman had also been offered the Merlin role in Arthur And Lancelot. The studio has now offered the part to another Christopher Nolan regular Ken Watanabe (Inception, Batman Begins, Last Samurai). Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stweart have been linked for the leads.

What's interesting about this move by Warner Bros. is that Ken is the first Japanese actor to ever be linked the to the project. Akira has been getting a lot of hate from fans that the casting has been mostly whitewashing. This hopefully could be the first step to casting more Japanese actors in the film.

WB Still Searching For Akira's Tetsuo, More Actors Linked

I swear that Akira has to be one of the messiest casting searches I've seen since Captain America. The studio seems to be scrambling to find their Tetsuo before Akira starts production early next year. We've heard names like James McAvoy, Andrew Garfield, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Robert Pattinson and Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin) previously all linked for the role but nothing has come of it. Currently Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy) is in place for role of Kaneda. Other actors such as Gary Oldman, Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley and Helena Bonham Carter have been mentioned being in the mix as well.

HeatVision has word another batch of actors will screentest for the part of Tetsuo. The new list includes Tobey Kebbell (Wrath of The Titans, RockNRolla), Michael Pitt (Dreamers, Boardwalk Empire), Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Rami Malek (The Pacific), Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus), D.J. Controna (G.I. Joe 2) along with retests from Paul Dano (Cowboys And Aliens, There Will Be Blood) and Alden Ehrenreich. Out of this bunch I feel that Kebbell and Pitt have the best chances too pull off Tetsuo properly. While names like Malek and Madden shouldn't be overlooked as both are becoming excellent actors.

CASTING DROPOUTS: Joel Edgerton And Ezra Miller

Two actors seem have to moved on from involvement with big Warner Bros. projects. Joel Edgerton has decided to pass on 300: The Battle of Atermisia and Ezra Miller denies any casting rumors of Akira. It's odd since both Hollywood Reporter and Twitch reported on Miller being reputable sources. Edgerton was also offered the second lead in The Man From UNCLE so he might looking at other projects. However, there is talk that the UNCLE script is boring and many actors have walked from it.

Kristen Stewart Could Play Kei In Akira

Warner Bros. has been having a really tough time nailing down it's male leads for their adaptation of Akira. Not much can be said for the few female roles as there haven't been too many names being mentioned. Now Twitch reports that Kristen Stewart is now in the mix for the role of female protagonist Kei. I'm still on the fence about Stewart in general with her terrible performances in Twilight but Huntsman could change my opinion.

A rumored offer has gone out to Helena Bonham Carter (Dark Shadows, Deathly Hollows, Fight Club) for the role of Lady and Keira Knightley (Pirates 1-3) had been linked for an unknown role. Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy, Troy) is up for the hero role of Kandea and Gary Oldman (Dark Kight) has been offered the role of the Colonel. While Ezra Miller (We Need To Talk About Kevin) and Alden Eherenreich are up for Tetsuo.

Ezra Miller & Alden Eherenreich Up For Tetsuo In Akira

HollywoodReporter says that Warner Bros. has two actors in mind to play Tetsuo in Akira. Previously there had been names mentioned like James McAvoy, Andrew Garfield, Robert Pattinson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yet, two new actors are testing for the role they are Ezra Miller and Alden Eherenreich. Both are relatively unknown but are gathering quite an amount of cinema geek-cred. Miller is currently getting rave reviews for his performance in the thriller We Need To Talk About Kevin. Alden is best known for working with Francis Ford Coppola (Godfather) in films like Tetro and Twixt. He was also in the running to play the new Peter Park in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man.

I think Ezra Miller might be the best of the two choices since his brooding Kevin is very similar to the latter stages of Tetsuo's descent into power-driven madness. Other names that have been circling the project include Garrett Hedlund, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter and Keira Knightley.

Four Possible Actors In The Running For Akira's Tetsuo

Now that Garrett Hedlund is likely taking the role of Kaneda in Akira there is the possibility we already know who might be up for the second lead of Tetsuo. Hedlund was apart of casting group for his part and there was a second smaller group testing for Tetsuo. That group included James McAvoy (Wanted, X-Men First Class), Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spider-Man, Social Network) and Robert Pattinson. Joseph Gordon-Levitt had been linked for the role when it was originally reported Warner Bros. was going to develop the project.

I wouldn't count Joseph out of the race until an actual name is attached. He's been quietly gathering steam at the studio starring in Christopher Nolan's Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Not to mention working with DiCaprio (who is a producer) on two films including Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Django Unchained. James McAvoy might be a good fit but he has sequels on the horizon that include Wanted 2 and a X-Men First Class sequel. Andrew Garfield might have a little more leeway than James as he only has Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming up which might go into production until the first film's box office numbers come back. It's expected that Akira will be starting production soon. While I don't entirely count out Robert Pattinson he is going to turn off the male audiences who attribute him to the quality bankrupt Twilight franchise. Not a good idea since there is already enough hate on this project without terrible casting choices.

Keira Knightley Also Linked For Akira

HeatVision is confirming previous reports that both Gary Oldman (The Colonel) and Garrett Hedlund (Kaneda) are wanted by Warner Bros. for Akira. Twitch and HeatVision both report Helena Bonham Carter is involved, she's been rumored for Lady Miyako. There are still a bunch of large parts still up for grabs and a fourth actor is now in the mix.

Someone new mentioned is Keira Knightley who is likely in mind for the role of Kei. A revolutionary who ends up helping Kaneda when his friend and fellow biker gang member Tetsuo is mixed up with military medical experiments. Knightley is best known internationally for her role as Elizabeth Swan in the original Pirates of The Caribbean trilogy. She's been itching for a new blockbuster as she's been testing for films like The Dark Knight Rises and Captain America The First Avenger recently. Keira previously played a rough and fast-talking bounty hunter in Tony Scott's Domino, so she might fit well in this role.

Warner Bros. Wants Gary Oldman For Akira And Arthur

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is pursuing Gary Oldman for two roles in upcoming tentpoles. They confirm the previous report that Gary is wanted for the role of the Colonel in Jaume Collet-Serra's  Akira alongside front-runner Garrett Hedlund. The studio is also pursing him for the role of Merlin in David Dobkin's Arthur And Lancelot in which Joel Kinnaman is a favorite for Lancelot. There is a strong chance that Oldman could end up with an Oscar nomination for his performance in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. So it seems like a smart move on the part of Warner Bros. to lock him up for a bunch of projects.