Budgetary concerns have prompted Warner Bros. to shut down pre-production on Akira, the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's hugely influential 1988 anime classic, which is itself an adaptation of Otomo's sprawling manga series.  After falling apart repeatedly, it looked like the whitewashed version of Akira was finally coming together under director Jaume Collet-Serra, what with the studio giving it the green light in October and all.  Now, this particular iteration is also looking increasingly unlikely.

After a few years of development and a stumble or two, Warner Bros' live action Akira adaptation is proceeding apace.  Most of what we've been hearing as of late has been concerned with casting, as Garrett Hedlund is set to play Kaneda, and offers are out to Kristen Stewart, Ken Watanabe, and Helena Bonham Carter for supporting roles.  While much attention has been paid to the whitewashed casting, what of Akira's actual story?  How will it incorporate both Katsuhiro Otomo's manga series and his seminal 1988 anime feature?  How will it be different from either?  What could very well be an official, if broad, story synopsis is now making the rounds, and offers some insight on these questions, as well as big potential changes to Kaneda and his relationship to Tetsuo.

Casting on Akira, Warner Bros' live action remake of the seminal 1988 manga, which director Katsuhiro Otomo adapted from his own sprawling manga series of the same name, would seem to be proceeding apace.  Since early in the project's development, under another director, fans have made no secret of their displeasure at the whitewashed casting, with originally Japanese characters being layed by Caucasian actors.  Garrett Hedlund of Tron: Legacy is in talks to star as Kaneda, Kristen Stewart has been offered the female lead of Kei, and both Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter were offered roles.  It looks like there might just be a familiar Japanese actor in the mix, as Ken Watanabe has reportedly been offered a substantial supporting role.

The Americanized live-action Akira received a green light from Warner Bros almost a month ago, with TRON: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund immediately mentioned as a frontrunner for a lead role.  Hedlund's involvement was confirmed not long thereafter, and with production scheduled to being in January or February of next year, casting is well underway on the adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime masterpiece, which was based on his own sprawling Manga comic book series.  Now, we might know the next thoroughly Caucasian actor to join the cast, as Kristen Stewart has reportedly been offered the female lead in Akira.

Prepare your indignation over whitewashing casting, ladies and gentleman, because the lead in Akira is going to be played by a corn-fed white boy, despite still bearing the distinctly un-Caucasian name of Kaneda.  When the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga series and landmark 1988 anime adaptation thereof had a different director months ago, a shortlist of potential leading men consisted of entirely white actors, upsetting a whole lot of fans.  Now that the project has finally received a green light under new director Jaume Collet-Serra, it's one of the actors on that list who will ride Kaneda's futuristic motorbike.  According to Variety, Garrett Hedlund is now in negotiations to play the lead role, after having been closely associated with it for weeks.

For three years now, Warner Bros has been developing a live-action remake of Akira, the 1988 anime classic adapted by Katsuhiro Otomo from his own epic manga series.  For a while there, it looked like budgetary concerns for the Americanized Akira would keep the project moribund, but just last week we learned that director Jaume Collett-Serra, who joined the project in July after Albert Hughes departed, had wrangled the budget, getting Akira a green light.  Now that it appears the project is moving forward, casting is the focus of attention, and a new rumor asserts that British thespians Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter have both been offered crucial parts in the film.

In 2008, Warner Bros snagged up the rights to Katsuhiro Otomo's legendary manga and with it, the right to make a live-action version of his even more well-regarded 1988 anime Akira.  The studio envisioned the futuristic dystopian tale, thoroughly rooted in cyberpunk coolness, Japanese post-WWII psychology, and general weirdness, as a big Americanized tentpole action film.  In the three years since, however, they've had plenty of trouble getting Akira off the ground.  It would seem those troubles have been sorted out, as Akira has reportedly been given the green light under Spanish helmer Jaume Collet-Serra, and both studio and director are already keen on an actor to play one of the leads.

After Keanu Reeves declined to star in Akira last week, Warner Bros is going back to the drawing board with their live-action remake of Katsuhiro Otomo's 1988 anime opus, which Otomo himself adapted from his six-volume manga series.  They'll be doing so without director Albert Hughes, who Deadline reports is walking away from the ambitious science fiction project due to "amicable creative differences."  

It’s a safe bet you are fully aware that Tron: Legacy is coming out tomorrow. You might even be aware that you could catch a late night screening tonight as well.

With all this press, it’s no surprise that Funny or Die is joining in on the fun.

Check out what one little girl had to say about the film. It’s sort of a review, but with a little performance art thrown in for good measure. Either way, it’s pretty adorable.

Jeff Bridges is not only a legendary actor; he is also one of the most decent individuals you could ever meet. His talent and his good will towards others is a terrific mix.

In many ways, Bridges is very much like “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski. He is chill, funny, and he says “man” and “you know” a lot, but it suits him just fine. This is the guy you’d want to have watch your back.