We all greeted the recent news that Keanu Reeves was interested in joining the Warner Bros. live-action adaptation of Akira with a collective yawn. It's not like the studio has done itself any favors since they first offered the lead role to tween heartthrob Zac Efron last year. Luckily, Reeves has officially passed on the chance to star in the adaptation cult Japanese manga.
In an attempt to stop the project from entering development limbo, Harry Potter franchise screenwriter Steve Kloves is attempting to trim the fat, both on the script and the budget. As of now, the long-in-development Akira hasn't been officially greenlit yet.
One positive, though, is that there is a director on board: Albert Hughes, one half of the sibling team behind Menace II Society and Dead Presidents. But despite tons of fan outcry, Kloves' script will still be based upon whitewashed characters that'll be at least 20 years older than Katsuhiro Otomo's original manga characters. Consider the other big-name actors who've previously turned the project down: Brad Pitt, James Franco, and Ryan Gosling.
Do you think that the social commentary will be lost in translation in this version of Akira? Or that it's simply destined to fail? Speak your mind.
[Via JoBlo]
Starfighter May 20th, 2011 at 04:27 PM
Here's the inside story on the Keanu Reeves Akira crusade. Crusade? Yes Crusade. When I first heard Keanu Reeves coming out of nowhere to vie for Akira, I asked myself why? Keanu is rich, successful, wanted and has his own anime Cowboy Bebop to do. Why would he want this role? Then it hit me. He is working currently on the film 47 Ronin which is a true Japanese story about a bunch samurai taking down another Lord. He got the lead Samurai part which means he displaced a Japanese actor from the purely Japanese role. My feeling is he felt guilty and probably feels it on set surrounded by 46 other Japanese actors as well as 70 million Japanese who aren't pleased that essentially a foreigner who is little bit Chinese has taken one of their beloved coveted roles from them. It is like if we put an Asian to play Hamlet set in Europe. It is like plundering/raping their heritage. Thus Keanu being the Neo want to fix this, but make himself feel better, went after Akira to make up for raping the Japanese and use his influence to get their Modern masterpiece Akira with a Japanese or Asian MALE actor to be Tetsuo to his Kaneda. You may say maybe it was the money which sunk the deal. I don't think so. Keanu doesn't need it and they are spending 230 million for 2 movies. Maybe Keanu wants too much on the back end. Maybe, but I don't think it would nix the deal esp. if you want Keanu, a proven World box office star. I feel the racist and some say Nazi connected(Jack Warner rumors) Warner Bros. are trying to test Keanu by shutting down the Pre-visualization office. Keanu says No to call their bluff because he wants nothing else, but to make sure that Tetsuo is played by a purely Asian actor to offset or balance his stealing the Japanese role in 47 Ronin. I think the way the story has been worded, it is a political game between Reeves and Warner Bros.(still peeved at Reeves for turning down the Mathew Fox Racer X role in the Speed Racer flop). Reeves is holding his ground and Warner Bros. is wasting our time with their Bluff. They have invested too much(press, rewrites...etc...) to stop and this is just a last ditch effort to get their way. I hope they just give in and do the right thing even if they feel differently. THE BOTTOM LINE: an Asian MALE actor has to play one of the main lead roles. If you want to compromise get a known Actress star to be KY if you wish for 2 caucasian stars to be in Akira. I think Catherine Ann Moss of Trinity Matrix fame would fit nicely. Millions of Matrix fans would be very interested in that :).