Zac Effron NOT Starring in AKIRA!

The High School Musical Star will not be joining the cast of Akira!

Follow THEHAWK:
By THEHAWK - 11/12/2010
Zac Effron is reportedly not in the running to star in a live-action adaptation of Akira.


The internet has been awash with rumors of Efron being in the running to star in the live action adaptation of the groundbreaking anime.


Zac Efron is reportedly not in the running to star in a live-action adaptation of Akira.

Several news outlets reported last week that the High School Musical star was offered the lead role in the project.

However, representatives for the Hughes Brothers, who are directing the movie, have said that the rumors about Efron playing the lead role in Akira are "not true".

Leonardo DiCaprio is producing the project.


Maybe there will be some hope for this film yet.
Source: DigitalSpy
DISCLAIMER: This article was submitted by a volunteer contributor who has agreed to our code of conduct. ComicBookMovie.com is protected from liability under "safe harbor" provisions and will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. For expeditious removal, contact us HERE.
1
LIKE!
36 Comments
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 12:03 PM
FIRST BLOCKED!
Metallicat213 - 11/12/2010, 12:14 PM
Thank God
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 12:15 PM
@ANIL. All is good brother, all is good
MovieTheaterLad - 11/12/2010, 12:16 PM
This is sad, but on the bright side, it leaves him free for the Death Note movie!

THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 12:21 PM
But, we have already had one good DeathNote movie! We don't need a bad one too!
Gusto - 11/12/2010, 12:23 PM
more like it leaves him more time for douchery.
joker22 - 11/12/2010, 12:25 PM
Damn And I Just Watched Charlie St. Cloud He Was Perfect!
Movie Was Epic 2.
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 12:40 PM
Maybe Anil, but he is NOT Kaneda of Tetsuo
Bandrews1 - 11/12/2010, 12:40 PM
Oh well.
BetaRayB - 11/12/2010, 12:42 PM
[frick] this kid. Decent actor but way too much of a pretty boy to take seriously in any non-Disney type role.
loganoneil - 11/12/2010, 12:57 PM
THANK GOD!! Now all they have to do is stop the 'Americanization' of the film!!!
SHAZAM171 - 11/12/2010, 1:02 PM
Thank God, Zack is an annoying little sniffling little girl aka Pretty Boy. LOL
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 1:17 PM
NO INTRUDER No. Do not say that out loud! They may hear you!
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 1:17 PM
Don't make me hurt you TEA
marvel72 - 11/12/2010, 1:29 PM
i thought it would help if you were japanese.

don't make this movie.
LEEE777 - 11/12/2010, 1:52 PM
LOL... We all knew this was BS, but gr8 to find out offically!

Cool find @ HAWK!
Ceghead - 11/12/2010, 1:53 PM
thank GOD for that! I adore Akira, rather disgusted in a car crash kinda way that there's gona be an american "real life" version! i just cant see it happening? but whadda I know, could be excellent. I'll just have to wait and see.
THEHAWK - 11/12/2010, 1:58 PM
It could be good CEG, but I doubt it.

The original was a masterpiece, but this "American" version will be crap.

The only way it could be good is if they take a Blade Runner approach with it, and I honestly doubt the Hughes Bros. will be that smart.
otakux3r0 - 11/12/2010, 2:14 PM
This is good news for many a fan out their, but honestly there are way worse choice's for any of the characters in this movie.
crazyray - 11/12/2010, 2:28 PM
DOESNT MATTER!!! Im still sharpening my pitchfork and wrapping femurs in gas soaked wrags a la Indy... Why?? Cause I can smell the SH1T stank from this movie all the waaaay from the future. SICK!!!
jazzman - 11/12/2010, 2:39 PM
maybe Zac Effron is not casted but i have a strange feeling they eyeing up Shia LaBeouf lol
LEEE777 - 11/12/2010, 2:41 PM
The only thing good going for this is... FOX hasn't got their sticky fingers in it!

Make gr8 TV but suck at cbm's! : P
P862010 - 11/12/2010, 3:27 PM
get aaron johnson if they want a young white actor
shadowboxer - 11/12/2010, 3:36 PM
@ Intruder
funny pic, i almost puked myself.

zac efron must be to busy singing and dancing for high school musical 4 or footloose reboot, lol
avengingson - 11/12/2010, 3:41 PM
The fact that this isn't based in Japan shows how bad it's gonna suck. To me, it's not just that it was a Japanese manga, but it's an important aspect of the source material...
jazzman - 11/12/2010, 3:41 PM
@Ajax

doubt they going to use a Asian actor when a major studio rather a white actor for the lead role. anyway the the movie still sucks when its a PG-13 instead of a R.

never said Shia Labeouf is a bad actor i know his a good actor when his not doing alot of these big budget special FX movies.

if WB want to do a live action Anime movie why not do Robotech.
imnotwearinghockeypants - 11/12/2010, 3:48 PM
Good, this movie needs to not be made.
sweetre15 - 11/12/2010, 7:12 PM
@Jazzman: They probably would cast an Asian Lead for Kaneda but get a popular white actor for Tetsuo/Travis. But then again that's just me thinking sensibly based on the way that the script's core skeleton seems to be. I'd think they want to avoid the backlash that The Last Airbender got for such things.

Robotech is being developed by Tobey Maguire's production company.

jazzman - 11/12/2010, 7:15 PM
@Sweetre15

well the truth is WB should not do Akira when everything about script is not good.
sweetre15 - 11/12/2010, 7:22 PM
@Jazzman: Fair enough but it's already been rewritten twice and sadly we can't stop them. Lol

Worst case scenario it sucks like Roland Emmerich's Godzilla which is bad but not as bad as some anime adaptations tend to be.

But I'd prefer it not to be made with the Neo Manhattan setting but atleast it's technically Japan because of it being rebuilt by the Japanese. I'm just trying to use my imigination to see how they could make this work and I think that they could call this new Metropolis Japan City ,or Tokyotown to make sure they don't piss too many people off.

I agree with what your saying overall though.
jazzman - 11/12/2010, 7:29 PM
@Sweetre15

the thing with Hollywood they dont know how to make a good live action movie from a Anime/Manga.

they had their chance with Speed Racer, Dragonball, Guyver, Fist of the North Star, etc. geez they could not even get The Last Airbender right and thats their own version of a anime lol.

CarpesDiems - 11/13/2010, 7:22 AM
Leave Akira alone!!!! Cowboy Bepop Too AND Death Note toooooo !!!
sarahsatire - 11/13/2010, 8:43 AM
Leonardo DiCaprio producing? Interesting, makes me feel slightly better about this movie being made. Does a live action version need to be made, though? Nah. The anime was perfect in itself, even to this day it stands the test of time with great animation and a unique story line. Hollywood will get it's hands on anything, and all I can do is hope anything High School Musical related will stay away from a gem like Akira.
47Ronin - 11/13/2010, 7:35 PM
Thank God! But why make a live action version?
loganoneil - 11/15/2010, 6:45 AM
sarahsatire - I ABSOLUTELY agree. It's been over 20 years and the film still has the raw power to amaze and stun! It is one of the FEW things I can truly call nearly PERFECT! Why screw with that level of excellence? I guess it's just another example of Hollywood's arrogance in thinking that American audiences won't 'get' something THEY didn't have a hand in creating! Either that or Tinsletown has run out of ideas (probably a little of both)!
ddrt - 11/15/2010, 1:25 PM
Great news! Now all they need to do is change it back to being in a double post apocalyptic environment (japan) and change nearly every aspect that they've changed!

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

.