Variety: James Collett-Serra direct film Akira alive (updated)

The Web site for the entertainment magazine variety industry reports Thursday that Warner Bros. has hired director James Collett-Serra (unknown, orphan, House of wax) to run the version of manga by Katsuhiro Otomo and film Akira.

Variety also noted that according to "inside", the film is "who is reenvisioned as a $ 90 million" project of blockbuster.

In may, former director Albert Hughes left the project due to "creative differences" in the film.

Also in may, reported that he had spent Keanu Reeves in the role of Kaneda in the film, and that "most" of the staff of the film had been let go.

Gary Whitta, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby writers were previously linked to the project, but the development team with producer Andrew Lazar (Jonah Hex, Space Cowboys, Get Smart) hired a new so-called writer Albert Torres. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio the Aviator (Titanic) is producing through his production company Appian Way. When the project was originally announced in 2008, it was intended to be the debut as a director Ruairi Robinson of Ireland. Last year, Hughes said the news site of the Japanese film Eiga.com that his next film would be Akira.

In March, an alleged list of possible cast, Justin Timberlake and Robert Pattinson, was published by the film news site deadline. While Pattinson himself downplayed the report, television Star Trek George Takei promoted petitions against the alleged "washing" (only Caucasian casting actors) in the series, whose original characters are Japanese.

Update: Added more background information.

[Via Collider.com]
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