Keanu Reeves Negotiating for Lead Role in Akira

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
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Keanu Reeves Negotiating for Lead Role in Akira



Keanu Reeves could become the star of the live-action English adaptation of Akira.

It's been slow going for Warner Bros. in its attempts to create a live-action version of The Matrix [http://www.amazon.com/Akira-Blu-ray-Mitsuo-Iwata/dp/B001LMU182], is in talks to be considered for Akira's lead role.

Akira is often thought of as the anime that helped bring anime to the world. Katsuhiro Otomo's multi-thousand page manga of the same name adapted into the 2-hour film follows a futuristic biker gang from 2019 Neo-Tokyo that becomes involved with a government program revolving around test subjects with psionic powers.

Reeves would evidently play Shotaro Kaneda, the lead in the film and the guy that owns the awesome bike on Akira's cover. Actors such as Brad Pitt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ryan Gosling are said to have been considered for the role of Kaneda in the past. If Reeves signs on, it could help bring in another big name for the role of Tetsuo, a member of the biker gang that becomes the film's psionic antagonist.

Producers need at least one star that can bring a worldwide draw, as Akira is rumored to be an extremely expensive project with a budget in the hundreds of millions. Co-financier Legendary Pictures recently dropped out due to foreseen risk on the somewhat nichey project. If Warner Bros. wants Akira to continue moving forward, Reeves could be its solution. Just try to imagine Reeves yelling: "Tetsuuooooooo!"

Source: Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/keanu-reeves-circling-warner-bros-185872]

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Wintermoot

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Aug 20, 2009
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wait Keanu is around 30 (looks like in his early 20,s) but Kaneda is somewhere in his late teens look Keanu isn't a bad actor but he seems unfit for the role.
 

Jabberwock xeno

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Oct 30, 2009
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*sigh*.

It will just be as bad, if not worse than DB: evolutions. At least in THAT, the mainstream audience who don't know a lot about Anime and Manga were somewhat familiar with DBZ.
 

NickCaligo42

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Oct 7, 2007
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See, these guys aren't bad at what they do, but I don't think "Kaneda" when I hear their names. Maybe the guy who played Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek movie, I think he'd do pretty nicely at it, but you know what'd be even better? An actual Asian guy playing the extremely Asian character in this extremely Asian movie.
 

Lt. Vinciti

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Nov 5, 2009
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So it seems that stealing a great film and beating it w/ a baseball bat made of America and adding lilywhite actors....

God Help Us All

Hollywood Ruining Something else....

I would pay the (stupid) price to see Akira in modern day theater...then I would the Americanitzed remake....which I will now refer to as Adam


This is sorta like Star Wars....never needing to be touched again and sitting on a solid gold fountain made of Fan adoration and "How We Did It In The Day"
 

Jxx

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Feb 10, 2010
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keanu is too old!

still though, most of the actors that are the right age are sparkly vampires or wizards
 

FalloutJack

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Nov 20, 2008
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Sorry, but as I recall, the people in Akira tend to do things that he doesn't, like enunciate. Shouting, screaming, grandstanding, dramatically gesturing, and so on. More importantly, there is NO POINT in making a live action Akira. The music and animation WAS the point, since the plot is...not so present.
 

sheah1

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Jul 4, 2010
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WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?! DO YOU LAUGH AT ME GOD?! DO YOU LAUGH AT MY PAIN?!
 

King Crab

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Jul 20, 2009
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at this point it doesn't even matter. go on, get justin bieber as tetsuo and just be done with it.
 

EvilPicnic

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Sep 9, 2009
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Keanu would be shit in this role, because he's shit in most roles. Except for those calling for expressionless alien freaks. Those he does well.

But at least he'll be able to handle the dialogue:

Kaneda: Tetsuoooooo
Tetsuo: Kanedaaaaaa
Kaneda: Testsuooooo
Tetsuo: Kanedaaaaaa
Kaneda: Testsuooooo
Tetsuo: Kanedaaaaaa
Kaneda: Testsuooooo
Tetsuo: Kanedaaaaaa
Kaneda: Testsuooooo
[repeat ad infinitum]

How hard could it be? ;)

Anyway, I think this is a big load of bollocky balls. They can't really be serious, surely? This must speculative rumour-nonsense, with a hefty dose of misinformation. And perhaps a joke at our expense.
 

Lord Beautiful

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Aug 13, 2008
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They should let him do it.

I'm serious.

Keanu Reeves should be the lead in this movie.

It's pretty much certain that this movie's going to suck syphilitic donkey genitals, but if it's going to be terrible, it might as well be amusingly terrible. I think Keanu may be what this project needs.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Jul 18, 2009
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Tom Goldman said:
It's been slow going for Warner Bros. in its attempts to create a live-action version of Akira
This is probably a good indication to not make the movie at all.