I've been so busy, I didn't get a chance to post about the news that none other than Keanu Reeves had been offered starring role in the upcoming live-action Hollywood remake of Akira. That's okay, because thankfully, I now get to report that Keanu has passed on part: Keanu Reeves Passes on 'Akira' And Other Updates.
Neo won't be Kaneda. JoBlo has exclusively learned that Keanu Reeves, who was offered the starring role in Warner Bros. Albert Hughes-directed, live action remake of Akira, has passed. They've also learned that Warners has shut down and fired much of a pre-visualization department that was working on the film. Does this mean Akira is dead? Not quite. Read more after the jump.Whew. Does anyone else feel like fans dodged a bullet with that one? Keanu is a relatively youthful 46 years old, but there's no way in hell I'm buying him as teenage Kaneda. Given all this crazy casting speculation, at this point, I'm glad the production seems to have hit a roadblock.
JoBlo exclusively confirmed with Reeves' reps that the actor has passed on the role, much as Brad Pitt, James Franco and Ryan Gosling before him. In their reporting they also learned that Warner Bros. shut down a pre-viz department that was working on the film. Losing yet another major star plus stopping work on a film might seem like a nail in the coffin but, it's merely a minor setback. Here's the statement issued by Warner Bros.
"Production on Akira has not halted or been shut down, as the film has not yet been greenlit and is still very much in the development stage. The exploratory process is crucial to a project of this magnitude, and we will continue to sculpt our approach to making the best possible film."
Don't get me wrong -- I would love to see the right Akira adaptation. But everything we've heard thus far has been trainwreck terrible. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they shelve this project until clearer heads gets their hands on it. Yeah, that's probably hoping too much.