Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy are up for the role of Tetsuo in a huge budgeted version of Akira, while Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix have all received scrips for other main character, Kaneda.
Deadline.com broke the news for the Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli) directed film, which is to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. The original Manga flick was released in 1988 to huge fan fare and is considered a genre classic. The story is set in "a neon-lit futuristic post-nuclear war "New Manhattan" (the original was set in 'New Tokyo' in 2019). Kaneda is a bike gang leader whose close friend Tetsuo gets involved in a secret government project known as Akira. Trying to save him, Kaneda runs into anti-government activists, corrupt politicians, irresponsible scientists and a despotic military leader."
The original film was compared to the work of James Cameron, such is the scope and visceral bite of the action - despite it being animated. The budget for this one would need to be at almost Avatar levels to do it justice and it's expected to be. Pattinson's name is a surprise; but if his latest film, Water for Elephants hits then expect his star to ascent to full blown A-list levels. Chris Pine is being linked with everything at the moment, as is Irish actor Michael Fassbender.