Even before the movie can get off the ground, fans have shown their hatred towards Hollywood’s plan to bring the cult anime movie, Akira, to the big screens. The main reason for much of the criticism is because the characters are going to be white instead of Japanese. Then again, look at Oldboy. It’s a Korean movie that was adapted from the Japanese comic, but everyone loved it.

Warner Bros. has greenlit its live-action remake of the anime cult hit “Akira” for a late February/early March start, sources tell Variety.

In July, Warners tapped Spanish helmer Jaume Collet-Serra (“Unknown” ) to direct at a budget of $90 million, which was brought down from an initial figure of well over $100 million. Where the budget stands now isn’t clear, and Warner Bros. had no comment on the project.

With a greenlight in place, studio can begin shopping for the two male leads; sources tell Variety that “Tron: Legacy” star Garrett Hedlund is considered a front-runner. Both Warners and Collett-Sera have been keen on the thesp, but had to wait for a greenlight to make their move.

Well, the budget is pretty good for a live-action anime adaptation, and I do like Garrett Hedlund, but let’s see if Warner Bros. will take the source material seriously.

Source: Variety