The production of Hollywood’s take on classic Anime cyberpunk masterpiece Akira has taken a hit after Keanu Reeves pulled out of the project. Quite how the 46 year old would have been able to pull of the role of Kaneda, the plucky teen hero of the piece, is perhaps a more pertinent point, and fans of the original are not likely to shed many tears at the news of his departure.
Studio execs at Warner Bros. are adamant that the Akira movie will be made and the production machine is still rolling onwards to its inevitably mundane release, according to Total Film. The casting guys are apparently exploring a wide variety of acting talent for the film, from buff comicbook botherer Chris Evans to tousle-haired Brit Robert Patinson. We can only hope that the finished product does not end up looking something like this: