Back in October it was reported that Gary Oldman was being offered the role of The Colonel in Jaume Collet-Serra’s live action adaptation of ‘Akira.’ Now, while Oldman has confirmed that he has been approached, Twitch is hearing word that the role has been offered to his ‘Batman Begins’ co-star Ken Watanabe.
Watanabe (‘Inception’) would be the first Japanese actor cast in the adaptation which has currently has Garret Hedlund (‘TRON: Legacy’) attached in the role of motorcycle gang leader Kaneda, and Kristen Stewart (‘Twilight’) in talks to play Kei. There is no update on whether Helena Bonham Carter will be taking the role of Lady Miyako or not.
In related news, a list of several actors currently testing for the role of Tetsuo has turned up online. Joining the previously reported Alden Ehrenreich (‘Twixt’) are D.J. Cotrona (‘Detroit 1-8-7’), Logan Marshal Green (‘Prometheus), Toby Kebbell (‘RocknRolla’), Richard Madden (‘Games of Thrones’), Rami Malek (‘Larry Crowne’), Michael Pitt (‘Boardwalk Empire’), and Paul Dano (‘Cowboys & Aliens’).
‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ star Ezra Miller was believed to be on the short list but the actor debunked the rumours, telling Moviefone "It's not true. That, I can assure you, will not be a reality. It's a beautiful Japanese epic and I think it'll be a very entertaining, fun film, but no, it's not my next move,"