Warner Bros. may have hit a snag when the then-attached Albert Hughes bailed on its upcoming Akira live-action remake, but the vacancy was quickly filled by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously directed Orphan and Unknown for the studio.
Things have been pretty quiet in the development front, but a story from Variety indicates that the project may be eyeing an early 2012 production start (either late February or early March), and adds that it may have its leading man.
Those hoping for Keanu Reeves, who previously was approached and turned the role down, may have to settle for Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), one of the actors who was on the shortlist to play the role of Kaneda.
Steve Kloves, who adapted all the Harry Potter books save for one, is scripting this adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga. The action is being relocated from Neo-Tokyo to New Manhattan. The original idea was to split the books up into two films, with books 1-3 as the first installment and books 4-6 to conclude the story. Whether or not Warner Bros. sticks to this plan is uncertain.
Now that the role of Kaneda is just about sewn up, let the speculation begin on who will play Tetsuo. Chances are it could be a sparkly vampire, the next Spider-Man or a young Professor X.
