This week there’s been a lot of buzz about the upcoming English-language remake of Akira, thanks to a recently issued casting call.
The plot synopsis from the latest casting call reveals Kaneda, the movie’s main character, will be a bar owner in neo-Manhattan in the latest version of the film:
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.
Garrett Hedlund has been cast as Kaneda and the studio recently offered the female lead to Kristen Stewart.
The casting call also claims the movie will begin filming in Vancouver in the spring of 2012 with Andrea Brown Casting handling extras casting.
Update: Akira is expected to shoot in Vancouver between March 5th and June 7th, 2012.
[…] As we recently reported, the movie was expected to begin filming in early March, but if they do go back into production, it is likely that date will be pushed. […]