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He's not long completed his turn as Dean Moriarty in Walter Salles' On The Road, but it seems Garrett Hedlund can't get enough of that crazy beat culture. He's now in talks to join the Coen Brothers' enigmatic Inside Llewyn Davis . The specific role under discussion is unclear, as is much about this project. But given that the film is something to do with the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s, we might surmise that Hedlund's musical chops, proven in Country Strong , make him a good fit. And he's got a reasonable-sized gap in his schedule now, what with Akira's tactical retreat. Inside Llewyn Davis is apparently in some way loosely based around "mayor of McDougal Street" Dave Van Ronk, who was a coffee-shop mentor to musicians like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell. Joel Coen has said there will be plenty of music in the film, "pretty much all performed live, on a single instrument." If Hedlund signs up, he'l

Warner Bros is pushing the pause button on Akira . The project, which has been through several incarnations, is being shut down in the face of casting and budgetary issues. The production offices in Vancouver are being closed, with below-the-line talent and crew told to stop working. “ Everybody is being sent home ,” according to an insider. Producers, who include Appian Way’s Jennifer Kiloran Davisson and Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar, will hunker down with director Jaume Collet-Serra for the next two weeks to iron out the script. It is unclear if Harry Potter scribe Steve Kloves, who did a pricey rewrite on the project a year ago, will be brought in to help out. If the issues cannot be resolved, the project could end up being shelved entirely, say insiders. Collet-Serra already had halved the budget from the incarnation that Albert Hughes was going to direct. He now is working on a budget in the $90 million range. But with only Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) signed on to star, a

Has Jaume Collet-Sera's Akira found its female lead? Twitch is reporting that Kristen Stewart has been offered the part of Kei , a young medium who becomes the love interest for Kaneda - the role already offered to Hedlund. Garrett Hedlund Could Star In Akira- Stewart is a choice that makes sense on most levels - she's certainly talented and has name recognition far above most in her generation - but also concerning in that none of the Twilight cast, Stewart included, have been able to find any sort of success outside of that franchise with Twilight fans not caring what any of them do elsewhere and everyone else generally staying away because of the Twilight stigma. Could this break the trend if Stewart accepts? Possibly - that it's more of a support role than a lead will help - but it's a somewhat risky move. Please Leave A Comment-

While Tron:Legacy didn’t make him a star, Garrett Hedlund will probably get another shot at the brass ring with Akira . The actor is in negotiations to star as Kaneda in Warner Bros’ adaptation of the Japanese manga classic being directed by Jaume Collet-Sera. To sum up the sprawling plot succinctly: In post-apocalyptic New Manhattan, a motorcycle gang leader ( Hedlund ) must stop fellow gang member and his brother from abusing his newly acquired telekinetic powers. The movie has been long in the works, with its budget finally being approved two weeks ago, paving the way for offers to go out. Helena Bonham Carter and Gary Oldman have been approached for roles, as has Keira Knightley . Thus far, only Hedlund has engaged. Hedlund is best known for his work on TV’s Friday Night Lights, but he has appeared in movies such as Country Strong. His first screen appearance was in Troy, where he played Brad Pitt’s cousin. Disney's Tron, despite making $400 million worldwide, was

Akira , the English-language, live-action take on the landmark anime and manga property, is zeroing in on its star, and it just might be Keanu Reeves . Warner Bros. has been having a tough time finding the two leads of the movie, to be directed by Albert Hughes. In the script, the action moves from Neon-Tokyo to New Manhattan, where a biker gang leader tries to save his best friend from a medical experiment that threatens to unleash destructive powers. Actors ranging from James Franco and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Robert Pattinson and Michael Fassbender have circled the project in some form or fashion as the studio sought to find an A-list lead. Now comes word that Reeves has held talks with the studio, with whom he already made the massively successful Matrix movies, for the part of Kaneda, the gang leader. Reeves doesn't yet have an offer for the role, but we hear the talks with his reps have been going well. Reeves anchoring the project could serve as a strong lure fo

The script for the Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures live action adaptation of anime artist Katsuhiro Otomo’s 6-volume graphic novel Akira has been sent to a short list of actors. The picture is finally taking shape for an August start, following the delivery of a rewrite by Steve Kloves that has director Albert Hughes and the studio brass excited. The story takes place in the rebuilt New Manhattan where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment. There are two major roles, and I'm told that for Tetsuo , Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy have been given the new script. For the role of Kaneda , the script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix . The two leads are expected to come from that group of actors. Andrew Lazar is producing with Appian Way’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran. Akira has been one of Warner Bros' high priority projects since th

Anyone with reservations about The Hughes Brothers ' upcoming Akira might take some comfort from the fact that great efforts are being made to crack the script before the project goes before the cameras. Following drafts by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby (Children of Men, Iron Man), Gary Whitta (The Walking Dead, The Book of Eli) and Albert Torres (Henry Poole is Here), the latest writer to dive into Katsuhiro Otomo's colossal manga is Steve Kloves. Kloves previously adapted Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys and is one of two credited screenwriters on something called The Amazing Spider-Man , but he's probably best known for having beaten every single Harry Potter novel (apart from The Order of the Phoenix) into movie shape. While mention of Harry Potter and Akira in the same sentence might initially cause a sharp intake of breath, Kloves' presence here makes a lot of sense: he's a writer known to Akira studio Warner Bros to be able to carve strong screenplays o

Akira Movie To Be PG-13 We brought you the news back in February that The Hughes Bros. who brought us Menace II Society and Book Of Eli , were attached to direct WB’s live action Akira movie. The project is still produced by Leonardo DiCaprio ’s company, Appian Way, along with Andrew Lazar but it doesn’t say if Leo will play the character Kaneda. First off, as far as who among the brothers will get to direct the project, Collider chatted with producer Andrew Lazar who revealed that only Albert will be tackling the job. He’s currently conceptualizing the movie with a group of visual artists and they’ve also hired a screenwriter, Albert Torres (Henry Poole Is Here) Via Filmschoolrejects , Next stop, those of you who may be fans of AKIRA might think it deserves an R-rated treatment but WB, the studio behind The Dark Knight, thinks PG-13 would suffice. Albert recently talked on The Kevin and Josh Movie Show on 106.7 HD2 (CBS RADIO – Washington D.C.) and confirmed studio’s

Akira Remake To Be Directed By The Hughes Brothers Looks like Warner Bros. is going to give the go ahead on the long awaited Akira film. After the job that the Hughes Brothers did on The Book Of Eli looks like Warner Bros. has found its team for this upcoming film. They are going to be making two films due to the length on the six-volume manga that the film will be based on. The script will come from Iron Man scribes Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby. (Akira is being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's company, Appian Way, along with Andrew Lazar, who’s also currently producing an adaptation of DC Comics’ Jonah Hex for Warners.) Even if you had read all of Katsuhiro Otomo’s epic 1982 manga and/or seen his own 1988 anime adaptation, summarizing the plot to Akira would still prove a bit of a challenge. As near as we can figure, Akira is about the leader of a biker gang who tries to save his kidnapped pal from a powerful supernatural experiment. (It might also be a psycho-philosophical explorat