Akira Remake Gets Serious About Race Bending, Gary Oldman And Helena Bonham Carter Offered Parts
For anyone who doubted that Hollywood was serious about making the live action Akira remake a reality there’s this breaking news: Offers are out to Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter.
Not only are Oldman and Carter two of the best character actors in the business, they’re big enough names that you don’t normally bother trying to get them unless you’re ready to spend some money on the movie they’re going to be involved in. No word yet on if they’ll accept and join the cast, but the fact that they’ve offered them parts tell us one really important thing about the movie: They aren’t casting Asians.
Though the original Akira anime is peopled with an entirely Japanese cast, we’ve long suspected that Hollywood would sweep all that aside and Westernize it. This move suggests that’s true, but at least if they’re whitening things up, they’re whitening it up with two really good actors.
Twitch says Oldman has been offered the role of Colonel (pictured above) while Helena Bonham-Carter, if she accepts, will play Lady Miyako. And of course there’s Garrett Hedlund, who’s still in talks to play Kaneda. Japanese actors? Nowhere in sight. Someone could at least have the decency to give Ken Watanabe a call.
