Twitch entertainment site is reporting that talks with Gary Oldman to play Colonel in the live action adaptation of "Akira" have fallen through, and now Warner Brothers will be offering the role to Ken Watanabe.
Watanabe, who has worked with Warner Brothers in the past on the films like "The Last Samurai" and "Batman Begins," is so far the first Asian actor mentioned to play a role in the new adaptation since it was greenlit. If talks succeed, he will be the first Asian actor cast in the film.
The production has been in development hell for quite some time, and rumors have had those in the anime community criticizing some of the choices made, including the lack of Asian actors up to this point in the casting announcements.
"Akira" is the first live action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga of the same name, and will be split into two films. An anime adaptation was released in 1988, which has gained cult success over the years.
The manga and anime can be found at Barnes and Noble in Manchester, FYE in Concord, Books a Million in Concord, Amazon.com, and any other location that sells anime and mangas.
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