Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy Among Actors Considered for Lead Roles in ‘Akira’

Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy Among Actors Considered for Lead Roles in ‘Akira’

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

For better or for worse, it seems as though Warner Bros. is dead-set on giving us a live-action adaptation of “Akira,” the comic that was previously made into the iconic anime film of the same name. Most fans feel that the original is a sci-fi film that ranks up there with “Blade Runner”—in other words, Hollywood shouldn’t try to fix what definitely ain’t broke—but like it or not, an American version may be on its way, and according to Deadline, several major actors have been sent the script.

For the role of Tetsuo, Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy, and Robert Pattinson are said to be in the running. For Kaneda, Justin Timberlake, Michael Fassbender, Garrett Hedlund, Joaquin Phoenix, and Chris Pine are being looked at.

Could we get a Garfield/Timberlake “The Social Network” reunion? It’s apparently possible.

While it may be unnecessary to adapt this material again, we’re at least pleased to hear that the studio is looking at some strong actors for the two key roles. You know, just so long as they don’t actually cast Robert Pattinson. We can’t think of him as being anyone other than Edward Cullen just yet…

Truthfully, if everything fell into place, this could be a film that might actually be worth seeing. Sure, the original anime film is a classic, but with a proper budget and a talented director, a new take on “Akira” might just be another landmark sci-fi movie. With the recent success of pictures like “Avatar” and “Inception,” could we be in for a science-fiction renaissance? Maybe.