Whether or not you're happy about it, whether or not you like the idea of Garrett Hedlund as Kaneda or Kristen Stewart as the female lead, whether or not you give a damn, the American Akira is happening. It's been a long road getting here, and for a while it seemed possible to simply wish it out of existence, but the movie is now in the casting stages, to the point that they're even releasing plot descriptions to casting agents. Plot descriptions that may reveal actual information, in fact. Check out the plot summary that Bleeding Cool got their hands on:
Kaneda is a bar owner in Neo-Manhattan who is stunned when his brother, Tetsuo, is abducted by government agents led by The Colonel. Desperate to get his brother back, Kaneda agrees to join with Ky Reed and her underground movement who are intent on revealing to the world what truly happened to New York City thirty years ago when it was destroyed. Kaneda believes their theories to be ludicrous but after finding his brother again, is shocked when he displays telekinetic powers.Ky believes Tetsuo is headed to release a young boy, Akira, who has taken control of Tetsuo’s mind. Kaneda clashes with The Colonel’s troops on his way to stop Tetsuo from releasing Akira but arrives too late. Akira soon emerges from his prison courtesy of Tetsuo as Kaneda races in to save his brother before Akira once again destroys Manhattan island, as he did thirty years ago.
This all sounds a lot like the original manga and anime, and the part that doesn't-- Kaneda as a bar owner?-- doesn't seem to change things too much. It's unclear how the Neo-Manhattan setting will compare to the original Neo-Tokyo, or how white actors like Hedlund or Ezra Miller will play characters with blatantly Japanese names like Tetsuo and Kaneda. But if you were worried that the American remake would screw with the plot details, you can at least cross that off your list.
If you're behind on your Akira casting rumors, the latest news was that Gary Oldman had turned down the all-important role of the Colonel, with Ken Watanabe-- the only Japanese actor involved so far, for the record-- now eyed for it. Nobody is quite confirmed beyond director Jaume Collet-Serra, though, so take none of this as gospel until you actually see people show up on set.
