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

Gerard Butler Latest Actor Set For Motor City

Variety reports that Warner Bros. might have finally found their lead actor for Albert Hughes' Motor City. Previously actors such as Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Dominic Cooper and Jake Gyllenhaal had be involved with the role but ultimately walked form the project. They say that Scottish action star Gerard Butler (300) in now in negotiations to take on the main role.  Gary Oldman is set for the villain while Amber Heard is playing the female lead.

Butler recently signed on for the White House action film Oylmpus Has Fallen and is expected to have a cameo in 300: Battle of Artemisia. I really hope there is a resurrection of Butler's action career as he hasn't exactly made the best decisions with his last couple of films.

Jeremy Renner Could Be Heading To Motor City

Twitch reports that Jeremy Renner (Avengers) is the current actor being pursued for the lead in Warner Bros' Motor City. Previously Dominic Cooper was attached until he dropped out and Jake Gyllenhaal had been in talks but walked. The site also points out that Renner is still aiming for role in Ridley Scott's The Counselor opposite Michael Fassbender. If he joins that project WB will have to look for another actor. Amber Heard (Pineapple Express, Zombieland) and Gary Oldman (Dark Knight Rises) are currently locked in for roles.

Jake Gyllenhaal Replaces Dominic Cooper In Motor City

Variety reports that Jake Gyllenhaal (Source Code, End of Watch) is in negotiations to replace Dominic Cooper as the lead in Motor City. The thriller from Albert Hughes (From Hell, Dead Presidents, Book of Eli) focuses on an ex-con who hunts down the man that framed him and stole the love of his life. Gary Oldman is set to play the villain and Amber Heard (Pineapple Express, Drive Angry) will play the female lead of the film.

UPDATE: Multiple sources are revealing that Gyllenhaal has backed out of talks. So it's looks like the project has lost it's second lead.

Warner Bros. To Decide On The Fate Of Akira Soon

ShowBlitz reports that the studio is going to be making to decision to greenlight their Akira adaptation or not. The project has had a long history of problems loosing two of it's directors and testing many actors but nothing came from it. Names like Michael Fassbender (First Class, Prometheus, 300), James McAvoy (First Class, Wanted), Andrew Garfield (Amazing Spider-Man, Social Network), Keanu Reeves (Matrix Trilogy, Point Break, Speed), Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy), Chris Pine (Star Trek 1-2, This Means War), Justin Timberlake (Social Network) and Joaquin Phoenix have been linked for testing.

Fans had been angry over the whitewash casting along with moving the location from Tokyo to Manhattan. It's budget was also too large likely since the whole movie is a gamble at this point. The studio wouldn't want to spend too much money if the fanbase isn't there. Last summer they gambled with high-concept Green Lantern which turned out to be a critical and financial blunder.

Director Albert Hughes Leaves WB's Akira

Deadline reports that Albert Hughes (From Hell, Book of Eli) has exited the terrible sounding Akira adaptation. They say the director and studio have creative differences. It's unknown if the all the white casting candidates or deviation from important Japanese setting from the source material was the reason. Warners is pushing forward and looking for a replacement director. Giving the impression production is likely to start within the year. This is the second director to leave the project the first being Oscar nominated Ruairi Robinson.

Keanu Reeves recently turned down the lead role of Kaneda which seems to be yet another kink in the works for the film. It also doesn't help Akira isn't getting much backing from the source material's fanbase. Changing many of elements from the original story along with the characters' ages, Japanese setting and tone (going from R to PG-13). There is also a rather large online campaign to stop the "white-washing" casting. I'm a really big fan of Warner Bros. but I'm starting to really dislike this whole project. It would be smart on their part to retool the script and fix the issues fans have.

Keanu Reeves Also In The Mix For Akira

Now this is more like it! HeatVision reports that Keanu Reeves (Point Break, Speed) is meeting with Warner Bros. and director Albert Hughes for the lead role in Akira. He would play Kaneda the leader of a biker gang in the re-envisioning of the classic anime/manga. Reeves has a decent relationship with Warner Bros. as he starred in the very successful Matrix franchise. He is currently playing a samurai in 47 Ronin for Universal. One of the sticking points had been it would be set in Manhattan and not Tokyo. So when an all white casting list was released it sparked a bit of anger from fans. Having Keanu in the lead role could help as he does have an Asian background but hopefully the studio does hire Japanese actors in supporting roles. What attracts me most about Reeves is that he actually rides motorcycles so he would look authentic on Kaneda's iconic bike. Granted no offer has been made yet.

WOULD YOU SUPPORT KEANU REEVES IN AKIRA?

CAST EM'!: Albert Hughes' Akira

With the recent online campaign calling out Warner Bros. for whitewashing casting of Akira. I've decided to choose two solid Japanese actors that could be cast in the two main lead roles of Kaneda and Tetsuo. As I call bullshit on the studio for not being able to be faithful to the original source material.

There are plenty of amazing Japanese actors that have been involved with films like Battle Royale, 13 Assassins and Outrage that could be perfect for this genre epic.

Ryō Kase as Tetsuo:  If Warner Bros. truly wanted Joesph Gordon-Levitt for the Tetsuo role, Kase is who they should be looking at. He's the Japanese JGL and has been involved with Eastwood's Iwo Jima. Also the amazing Yakuza epic Outrage which he is a major standout. Throwing out a few flawless lines in English I might add. He would bring the perfect balance of good and evil needed for the role. (Outrage, Letters From Iwo Jima) 

Yûsuke Iseya as Kaneda: Yûsuke is more of an action star doing some impressive stunts in 13 Assassins and Sukiyaki Western seemingly perfect for the heroic role of Kaneda. (13 Assassins, Sukiyaki Western)

Short-List Of Actors For Akira Revealed

Warner Bros. had previously hit some bumps when James Franco and Mila Kunis passed on Akira to make Oz, The Great & Powerful. They the hired Steve Kloves (Amazing Spider-Man, Harry Potter) screenwriter to rework the script and now have a short list of actors for the two leads. Deadline reports that the new script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix for the role of Kaneda. Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy are up for the role of Tetsuo.

Garrett Hedlund and Andrew Garfield are my favorites for the leads. Hedlund recently stepped into the world of blockbuster leads with Tron Legacy which he turned down Captain America for. Andrew Garfield is another great name to have involved as part of the best movie of last year (Social Network) and becoming the new Spider-Man his star is quickly rising.

James McAvoy could also fit the role of Tetsuo nicely. Chris Pine and Michael Fassbender are likely busy with Star Trek 2 and Prometheus. While Robert Pattinson and Justin Timberlake will give an instant cringe factor to the fanbase. Joaquin Phoenix seems too creditable and a little too old for the film.

Brad Pitt Offered Lead In Akira? Steve Cloves Hired To Fix Script

There is talk from Vulture that Warner Bros. has reached out to Brad Pitt to headline their adaption of Akira. It seems unlikely Pitt would take the role as he's way too old to play any of the main characters from the manga. Unless he's been offered the role of the Colonel. Previous rumors include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman along with offers also out to James Franco and Mila Kunis.

It doesn't sound good for the project that such high profile actors are turning it down. It's even more embarrassing when the studio starts to look for big names that they'll never get. It's going to be an expensive production and a massive gamble for the studio. It's been hammered for over a year by fans of the original material because the studio had been changing major elements of the story. First of all setting the story in Manhattan and not Toyko allowing to recast the expected Asian cast with white folks.

I've never really had issues with ethnicity when casting fictional characters. Yet this one is hard to swallow because it's identity is Japanese. There are links to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which is beyond important to the country's psyche. It's not like with Nick Fury, Hemidall (Thor) and Goku (Drangon Ball) where the background of the actors didn't really matter because it wasn't important to the story or setting. I have to admit I've been an avid fan of the anime for years and I believe focusing on the manga source material should be priority number one. It's also possible it's a way for the studio to save money as shooting in Japan is a very expensive process. There is now word from Variety, Steve Cloves (Harry Potter Films) has been hired to "polish" the script. I really hope they listen to the fan-base that would support this film and bring back the original elements.