Pattinson , Garfield and Phoenix join the the Akira shortlist
Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy are all being considered for the role of Tetsuo. The role of Kaneda is being shopped to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix.
Steve Kloves has signed onto do a rewrite of the screenplay for director Albert Hughes. The story takes place in a rebuilt New Manhattan, where the leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment. The goal is to make two films, each covering three books in the series.
Production is set to start in August.
Akira comes to theaters in 2013 and stars Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe. The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
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Mavihs
@BoycottWarnerBros
Not really. They are in america, ADAPTING a famous Japanese animated film to a country that is 70% white.
1 year agoby @mavihsFlag
Starfighter
This all reminds of the Godfather directed by Francis Ford Coppola and made in 1972. If anybody doesn't know, all the main characters were played by Caucasian except one, Michael Corleone. THat was famously played by Al Pacino. To remind people of how hard it was to get Al Pacino as Michael, just ask Coppola. The studio execs didn't want Pacino at all. Coppola had to fight tooth and nail to keep this part Italian. Think about it. Would Al Pacino have the career he has without the Godfather? No Way!
Now we fastforward to 2011 where Akira is being offered to only Caucasians. Deja Vu! Well like back then, someone has to fight this racist casting. Well I note that an Italian Leonardo Dicaprio's company Appian Way is producing this film. I think Leonardo has the passion and power to fight for 1 of the 2 roles to be Asian. So I'm calling you out Leo! You seem to be a man of principal and integrity. Don't let this injustice go under your watch!
1 year agoby @StarfighterFlag
Carolyn Martinez-Corbin
No racism here, for i think the Japanese culture is beautiful. I love their daily practice of peace and love. If North Americans (Canadian myself) had their practices, and even the way they take care of themselves, we would be so much better for it. I hate how American corrporations, such as McD's have gone into Japan, and literally started a decline in healthy eating, shame on their money greedy hearts.
As much as i really like Robert Pattinson, after reading these posts, i'm understanding why you are unhappy with the "short list" for these actors do not represent a movie like this. I hope for those who do appreciate Manga etc. that you get the actors suited for it. On the other hand, I do see here what hollywood would like to do to this type of material, as they have done with Japanese horror. On the good side, it has been introduced to those who did not have the realization of how amazing Japanese horror was. I ended up watching the actual Japanese movies to most of of; Tale Of Two Sisters/Univited, The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water, Rec., The Eye, and i know there are more i am unformilar with or have not seen...And what the American versions did was start an interest to those not in the know like yourselves, of the supierior Japanese versions they would end up watching having seen the "American" versions. This to could happen with Akira and the likes, if indeed it is made like WB want to make it, and again peak the interest of those who have not had the exposure to what you have, or the intellegence too. After this, if it happens, and because it alows for much getter exposure. The actual Japanese material may become even bigger to the individuals who did not realize it's existance or brilliance. Thank you for your insight.
Peace, and love, hope to those in Japan who have gone through so much recently...Dealing with the passing of loved ones, at the same time as their need to deal with such devistation, in a time where they should be cared for, and hopefully are. My hearts goes out to such beautiful people. I so hope life can come back together for them, and i pray for it too...carolyn
1 year agoby @Carolyn-Martinez-CorbinFlag
Josh
Off the supposed racism issue, people who complain about reboots need to chill the f*ck out. No, remaking your favourite movie is not "raping" your childhood (problematic rape metaphor aside). It's not like the new version is going to replace the old one. The film nazis are not going to come to your house and make you hand over your DVD copy of the first Akira movie. That's the beauty of free artistry, is people have the ability to put new spins on old stories.
Hell, no one freaks out when Michael Almereyda or Baz Lhurman want to modernize and Americanize Shakespeare. You may be a purist, but you have to realize the irony of the fact that the "classics" you're defending, Blade Runner, Akira, the Godfather, were f*cking adaptations themselves. Nothing can "take away" from the source material, because the source material will still exist, and still be just as easy to access.
Grow up.
1 year agoby @shuabertFlag
Leonidas Theofanopoulos
@k-man i think they're below "decent". the problem with remaking an anime of this magnitude is that it is very unlikely it will be a decent movie compared to the original and MY problem in this case are the "few actors" that might make it into the movie. bad, overhyped teenage-fangirls's kinda actors
1 year agoby @leonidas-theofanopoulosFlag
TheMime
Wow....very big age difference there...... a little confusing
1 year agoby @themimeFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
Still awaiting news on this, as I'm getting more and more on the fence. however, I see Garfield being a fantastic Tetsuo (think his role in Never Let Me Go but gone crazy). As for Kaneda, since they're going for an older age range anyways (Idk why, really) I say LEo do the role himself.
1 year agoby @narratorFlag
Jay.A.Ottley
@K-Man I wouldn't say a decent track record, their Alright but below decent, their best flick being 'From Hell'
I would have preferred maybe J.J.Abrahams in the director's chair
1 year agoby @jayaottleyFlag
Jay.A.Ottley
@dan1 - Agreed
1 year agoby @jayaottleyFlag
Dan
None of them.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
CUPID
@k-man Come on what kind of dumb ass question is that.
If i think that this or any other movie is gonna be sh*t then thats just me.
1 year agoby @cupidFlag
K-Man
I, for one, am pretty excited to see what happens with this. I think too many of you people are bashing this film without taking into account a few factors that just might make this into a pretty decent film.
First off, it's the Hughes brother who are directing. Now I know that's not like saying it's Ridley Scott or Steven Spielberg directing.....but these guys have a pretty decent track record and overall they are pretty good filmmakers who have a very unique style that should translate very well with this source material.
Second, just because something is based on an anime doesn't mean it's going to suck. Many here seem to forget that The Matrix was inspired very heavily by Anime. Also, from what I hear the story of Akira is pretty good and interesting.
As for who they are choosing for the roles.....all sound good to me.
@shuabert - Agreed.
@cupid - Is there a film out there that you don't bash?
@BoycottWarnerBros - Dude, they have decided to cast white actors because there just isn't a lot of really, really good asian actors out there in the Hollywood scene. Please name a few actors who would be worthy of carrying a huge summer tent-pole film that are of the appropriate age and who are Asian.....AND, most important of all from a studio standpoint, who will put asses in seats?
I'm not racist, not at all......but if I had $150 million invested in a project, you can bet your ass I'd replace the ethnicity of a couple characters if it meant getting better talent.
1 year agoby @k-manFlag
thedude-abides
I will say that as far as this movie is concerned, it's a bit ridiculous casting whites to play the characters. But I agree with @shuabert's reasoning in that it's all about the draw. But, that's the business.
1 year agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Dan
@thedude-abides Agreed.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
thedude-abides
I think some people have forgotten that this is America. The majority of the population in this country is white. So, of course Asian-American actors won't resonate with the majority of Americans because the majority of Americans are white. That's not a racist statement; that's a true statement. As of the 2009 census, it breaks down like this:
White - 65%
Hispanic - 16%
Black - 13%
Asian - 4.5%
You can't tell me that in a country predominately white, that u expect equal representation. It's the same reason why in Korean films, you don't see any American actors. In different parts of the world, there are different types of people. I look at it like this as far as Asian actors are concerned: For only accounting for 4.5% of the population, u r represented proportionally in the American cinema scope. Equally, no. But proportionally, yes. This argument is the equivalent of me going to China and complaining about why there aren't more white people in Asian cinema. It's completely ridiculous.
1 year agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Carolyn Martinez-Corbin
@AdventLegion
Thank You...And i actually agree with you here. I am in no way a person in the know here when it comes to something use obviously do and feel a passion for. You may not believe this, but for that reason, i do not believe Rob would even take the role they may be offering. He believes in being true to a story...
1 year agoby @Carolyn-Martinez-CorbinFlag
AdventLegion
@BoycottWarnerBros Now don't get me wrong, I completely agree with racism in Hollywood, but let's not turn this into a race arguement, because at the end of the day racism is everywhere, not just America.
As for the movie, does it take place in New York? No, no it doesn't, nor does it have anyone of caucasian descent.
At this point they might as well drop the whole Akira title and call the damn thing Bob.
1 year agoby @AdventLegionFlag
I AM FRATSON
Ok....The fact that whites are becoming a minority in America would hardly make the country racist. Racism exists everywhere, I dont care who you are. I believe that there is less racism today than years prior. The fact of the matter is if an actor/actress, regardless of race, cannot speak clearly for an audience to hear him, he isnt gonna get casted, ESP as a lead. THAT is the reason why.
1 year agoby @iamfratsonFlag
BoycottWarnerBros
@shuabert "This is an American studio transplanting a story into an American setting"
So to you, does American mean white? Oh, with a token African American? lol.
Of course Asian-American actors don't have box office draw, they never get casted for anything. It's a viscous catch-22. The fact is, Hollywood knows that outside of a martial arts setting, American audiences won't sit down and watch a movie with a bunch of asian actors, which is why they aren't casting any. It's got nothing to do with individual talent and everything to do with racism in American society and Hollywood's agreement with that view.
1 year agoby @BoycottWarnerBrosFlag
darksektor1971
@ Boycott...I'm a fan of the anime and actually i think that an North American made film of this icon should not be done by any means, nor this one or Robotech or Evangelion, specially 'cause they as of now, doesn't have the original creator involved (that's what's bother me more) and i agree with you that there's a lot of asian specially japanese actors who could portray perfectly the roles, even on an North American produced movie. And sorry since I'm not North American i can't take a judgment on how Manhattan looks at the time.
1 year agoby @darksektor1971Flag
Josh
@BoycottWarnerBros You're talking to the wrong guy about being "conditioned to accept and ignore" Hollywood's red flags on race. I'm the one who has brought up this issue before, and I frequently question Hollywood's tendency to whitewash things. Just ask @thedude-abides
However, This is an American studio transplanting a story into an American setting, so I don't think it's the same. This is the same studio who refused to cast non-British actors for Harry Potter and kept the races of all the characters intact from the novel. The reason they're probably not looking for Asian-American actors for these roles is because there AREN'T any who have the box office draw they want. And they're not looking only at white actors. It was rumored a couple months ago that Morgan Freeman was being considered for the role of the Colonel.
1 year agoby @shuabertFlag
Masta_Chiefed
Ugh... The hughes bros. I cant get over that. Have they ever worked with CGI before?
1 year agoby @masta-chiefedFlag
AdventLegion
@Carolyn-Martinez-Corbin It has noting to do with who they are, or what other movies that they have been in. It has to do with the source material and just how old these actors are to the characters they are set to portray are.
If you have ever read the manga or seen the animtaed Akira movie you would get what I was saying had nothing to do with who they are as people and their acting chops. This is a movie set in Japan with Japanese high school students. Where in there does it scream 26-40 year old white male?
1 year agoby @AdventLegionFlag
BoycottWarnerBros
@darksektor1971 I doubt that the tsunami played into their decisions here. There was no talk before or after the disaster of casting any Asian or an Non-white actors. Even if you relocate the movie from Neo-Tokyo to Neo-Manhattan, have you seen the make-up of Manhattan today? It is very far from all White.
Boycott Warner Brothers, Boycott The Hughes Brothers, Boycott this movie.
1 year agoby @BoycottWarnerBrosFlag
darksektor1971
@ Boycott...maybe they are doing the same move of location as the other studio did with Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim, 'cause the tragedy of Japan, and portraying more damage to that people's homeland plus the one they are living right now is a matter of consideration i guess....
1 year agoby @darksektor1971Flag
darksektor1971
my other option for AKIRA would be Kodi Smit-McPhee....
1 year agoby @darksektor1971Flag
BoycottWarnerBros
@shuabert If location and race really didn't matter then why cast only white actors? If Race really didn't matter then you'd think that they'd have a diverse cast (or you know nothing about the demographics of Manhattan.) The fact that they purposely removed any Asian male actors and are casting exclusively white actors raises many red flags that it seems you are conditioned to ignore and accept.
1 year agoby @BoycottWarnerBrosFlag
darksektor1971
ok...
Tetsuo-------->Garret
Kaneda-------->McAvoy
AKIRA--------->Noah Ringer, since in the anime is the youngest of the characters.
1 year agoby @darksektor1971Flag
CUPID
@shuabert Okay i'm talking about anime man and this will suck. But your right about one thing i do intend on seeing the original.
1 year agoby @cupidFlag
Leonidas Theofanopoulos
i haven't seen this movie but it is in EVERY SINGLE ONE "top 10 anime films" lists. and they CONSIDER actors like zac efron and robbert pattinson?? seriously?
1 year agoby @leonidas-theofanopoulosFlag