Michael Pitt, Paul Dano And Others Being Considered For Tetsuo In Akira Movie

By Saralyn Smith | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

After years of sitting on the shelf, news about the apparently impending Akira movie seems to be rolling out at high speeds.  First, we got the news that the film is finally being made and will probably be headlined by Garret Hedlund as Kaneda.  Next, there was word of offers being extended to Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter.  Just this week, the weird news that Kristen Stewart may be playing the female lead came out. 

For those of you keeping track, that leaves a pretty big hole in the cast speculations: Tetsuo.  Warners seems to be aware of this gap and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is hoping to make a casting decision by Thanksgiving.  If you’re curious as to who is in contention for Tetsuo, THR has a list of the guys testing with Warners this week:

D.J. Cotrona (Detriot 1-8-7, G.I. Joe 2: Retailiation)
Logan Marshall Green (Devil, Prometheus)
Toby Kebbell (RocknRolla, War Horse)
Richard Madden (Robb Stark in Game of Thrones)
Rami Malek (The Pacific, Twilight: Breaking Dawn-Part 2)
Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire)

THR also says that Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine, Knight and Day, Cowboys & Aliens) and Alden Ehrenreich (Tetro) will be returning to re-test for the role.

As THR points out, almost all of these guys are “up and comers” known at least in part for strong performances in indie films or serious television.  That’s not a bad pool of actors to pull from if you’re looking to cast a character who walks the fine line of mental (in)stability.