UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! *pause for breath* UPDATE!
Following in the footsteps of Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and James Franco, Keanu Reeves is the latest to have officially passed on the role.
And that’s not the only blow for this long in development project – Warner Bros. has also shut down the film’s pre-viz department, and screenwriter Steve Kloves has been charged with the task of re-writing a draft of the script that would bring the budget down from the current $140,000,000 budget(!)
When contacted however, they remained positive, issuing the following statement:
“Production on AKIRA has not
halted or been shut down, as the film has not yet been greenlit and is still very much in the development stage. The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude, and we will continue to sculpt our approach to making the best possible film.”
Hmmm. Sounds a bit suss to us.
While we all wait for updates on the movie – UK readers will get another chance to see the 1988 original when it’s re-released in cinemas for a limited run on the 17th of June, and available to buy on Blu-Ray from the 27th.
Previously, on AKIRA-watch….
08/05/11The casting rumours for the Hughes Brothers (FROM HELL; THE BOOK OF ELI) upcoming live-action remake of seminal anime AKIRA continue to gather speed, with the news that Keanu Reeves is in talks for the role of Kaneda.
He joins a long list of actors already being mulled for the project, with the likes of Robert Pattinson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Andrew Garfield, Zac Efron, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the short-list.While this news might not appease the folks upset at the racial recasting of the project (I’d personally be more concerned an actor pushing 50 is being considered for a 16 year old, but that’s just me), fans can at least breathe a sigh of relief that it’s one less role that Twilight bloke can lobby for. Glad Reeves is out? Is the movie needed at all, or are you excited to see that big milky teddy bear nightmare thing on the big screen? Let us know with your comments below!
