Two actors emerge as frontrunners.
Last week we found out that Garrett Hedlund was officially offered the role of Shotaro Kaneda in the live-action remake of ‘Akira.’ Now THR is reporting that ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ star Ezra Miller is among the actors testing for the role of Tetsuo Shima, Kaneda’s best friend and nemesis.
Also in the mix and reading for the part, is Alden Ehrenreich. The 21 year old actor’s credits include Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Tetro’ and ‘Twixt.’ He is currently in production on Park Chan-wook’s drama ‘Stoker’ alongside Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode.
In Katsuhiro Otomo’s cyberpunk original, Tetsuo is a member of the Capsules, a bōsōzoku gang led by Kaneda. Following an incident with the “Esper” Takashi—a psychic child with wizened features—Tetsuo’s telekinetic abilities are awakened, attracting the attention of a secret government project directed by Colonel Shikishima (Gary Oldman).
The Jaume Collet-Serra-directed remake has also approached Keira Knightley (‘Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,’ ‘Anna Karenina’) for an unknown role.