In news that is almost guaranteed to rile fans of the original, Warner Brothers have reportedly approached Kristen Stewart to play the female lead in their upcoming remake of Akira .
Stewart is in the frame to play Kei, a young medium who becomes the love interest for gang-leader Kaneda, the role offered to TRON: Legacy ’s Garrett Hedlund.
K-Stew is the latest in a series of big-name stars to receive offers from the studio, with approaches also having been made to Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter. At present, none have officially signed on to star.
For those of you unfamiliar with the original manga, Akira is set in the dystopian future city of Neo Tokyo (or New Manhattan in the remake) and follows the endeavours of Kaneda to rescue his friend Tetsuo from the shadowy government types looking to harness his psychokinetic powers.
The remake has been penned by Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves and will be directed by Unknown ’s Jaume Collet-Sera. Filming is set to begin in the spring with a view to a 2013 release date.
