The likelihood of a live-action version of anime classic Akira dramatically receded in January of this year, when news broke that Warner Bros. had shut down production in order to address a budget which the studio felt was too high. Whether the project is revived, in the manner of Disney’s Lone Ranger, remains to be seen, although even if it isn’t, a brace of leaked storyboards give a clue to how it might have turned out.
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Is making a live-action Akira a good idea? Is transposing Katsuhiro Otomo’s cyberpunk saga to the streets of Manhattan the kind of classically ill-starred adventure that can only ever end in buckets of salty tears being shed by all concerned? Now you can pass your discerning eye over the rebooted Akira synopsis and make an early call.
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Warner Bros. has finally given the green light to its live-action remake of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. A live-action version of the anime classic has been long-mooted- since way back in the 90′s in fact- and just about every young male star in Hollywood has been attached to play one of the two leads at some point or another. Tron:Legacy star Garrett Hedlund is now thought to be a favourite to land a lead role in the film and helming is Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra, the guy behind Liam Neeson starrer Unknown.
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The Hughes Brothers, recently of Book of Eli fame, are negotiating with the WB to take control of the live action adaptation of Akira.
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