Helena Bonham Carter And Gary Oldman Could Be In ‘Akira’
The live-action, English-language remake of the Japanese animation classicAkirahas suffered so many stops and starts over the years that I was beginning to think (/hope) it’d never happen. But now that Warner Bros.has officially greenlitthe movie, it seems directorJaume Collet-Serra(Orphan) isn’t wasting any time getting things together. We heard last week thatGarrett Hedlund(TRON: Legacy) was the frontrunner to star as Kaneda, and now it looks like a couple of other actors have been tapped as well. According to a new report,Gary OldmanandHelena Bonham Carterhave been offered roles in the film. More details after the jump.
The firstAkirais one of the most celebrated animated films of all time, so Collet-Serra and his team have alotto live up to — and like many of you, I have concerns about the remake’s ability to do the original justice. That said, if this movie is going to happen, it may as well be with quality actors like Bonham Carter and Oldman. Both are reliably excellent, even if each has a few clunkers on his/her resume. If they sign on, their names could add some much-needed prestige to the project.
Bonham Carter recently wrapped Tim Burton’sDark Shadows, and is now filming Mike Newell’sGreat Expectations. (She plays eccentric Miss Havisham, naturally.) She’s also slated to begin shootingLes Miserablesnext year, which will reunite her withKing’s Speechdirector Tom Hooper. Oldman will next appear in this winter’sTinker Tailor Soldier Spyand is currently working on Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight Rises. Among his other upcoming projects areGuns, Girls and Gamblingwith Christian Slater and Dane Cook, and John Hillcoat’sThe Wettest County in the World. Shooting onAkirais expected to begin in late February or early March of 2012.
