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Movie Site Lists Potential Akira Actor Candidates

The movie news site Deadline has posted what it said are "short lists" of actors who were given the script for the live-action remake of Katsuhiro Ōtomo's manga Akira. According to the site, the actors being considered for Kaneda are:

• Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy's Sam Flynn)
• Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class's Magneto)
• Chris Pine (Star Trek's James Kirk)
• Justin Timberlake (The Social Network's Sean Parker)
• Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the LINE's Johnny Cash)

According to Deadline, the actors being considered for Tetsuo are:

• Robert Pattinson (Twilight's Edward)
• Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man's Peter Parker)
• James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class's Charles Xavier)

Warner Bros. had not responded to ANN's request for comment at press time.

Warner Bros. and Leonardo Dicaprio's Appian Way revealed in 2008 that they had acquired the rights to adapt Akira into a live-action Hollywood film, with Gary Whitta later attached to write the script. Since then, Book of Eli co-director Albert Hughes and Harry Potter scriptwriter Steve Kloves have been brought on to the project.

DiCaprio had stated that he would produce the film (along with the live-action adaptation of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's anime Ninja Scroll), but would not act in it. Last year, a representative for Hughes and his brother Allen Hughes dismissed reports that Zac Efron would be starring in Akira.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter and DoctorZagreus for the tips.