by Chris MaGeeI want to start this news item off by saying that I love James Franco. Ever since I saw him portray James Dean in the 2001 made-for-TV Turner Network Television movie about the late actor. It just seems that Franco can do no wrong... okay, maybe the "Spiderman" films got a bit goofy, but still. If a report coming from JustJared.com this week has any truth behind it, though, then Franco may be about to make that wrong move.
According to the post Franco's name is being bandied about in connection with the lead role of Kaneda in Leonardo Dicaprio's long-rumoured live-action remake of Katsuhiro Otomo's seminal 1988 anime film "Akira". As you know this project has been green lit and then shelved again and again since back in 2008 (read our posts about the remake here), but will James Franco's buzz factor following his Oscar-nominated performance in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" be the key to finally getting this film rolling. Well, we here dearly hope that isn't the case. With "Book of Eli" director Albert Hughes being attached to "Akira" as director it's doubtful that even Franco's phenomenal talent could save this project.
Let's hope that this is just another case of the latest "it" actor being attached to a multitude of films that have long moldered in development hell. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
I wonder how much they are going to change in the story to adapt it to American audiences, it's hard for me to imagine any of the lead characters being anything but Japanese. NEO-Manhattan? Kevin and Ted, instead of Kaneda and Tetsuo? I don't know man :P
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update :)