The Keanu man has been making a bit of a resurgance lately with news that he’s pushing for the development of a 3rd Bill and Ted movie and word that he had expressed interest in adapting Japanese Anime’s. Today we learn that 1 of those anime’s is no longer under the actors’ consideration as he has passed on the role of Kaneda in the Akira adaptation.
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
Even though he has a strong relationship with Warner Bros. by way of the The Matrix franchise, Keanu Reeves has officially passed on the role of Kaneda in the live-action Akira film, based on the 1988 landmark anime and six-volume manga. The project has been in development hell for years and has had numerous big names circling it – James Franco, Brad Pitt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt to name a few – but none have ultimately signed on to the Albert Hughes helmed sci-fi flick, whose budget has swelled to an estimated $140 million.
A little disappointed in that the absence of the Keanu man’s presence may slow down development of this movie, but also a little relieved as I’m not sure it’s the best anime to adapt into a live action flick. It’s not that I dont think that they could pull off the visuals, they probably could, it’s because Akira’s story is WEIRD. Creepy little blue kids, a psycho biker gang, and an old friend with a host of super powers with a sub plot of the title character that actually has very little to do with the on-screen action sounds good on paper, but I just don’t think audiences are willing to wrap their head around the complexities of the underlying themes in the movie.
This may not stop them from making the movie, so if not the Keanu man then who?
