The live-action Akira may finally have a leading man. Tron: Legacy star Grant Hedlund has been offered the role.
For two weeks now, word on the street has been that director Jaume Collet-Sera (Unknown) wanted Hedlund for the lead role of Kaneda in his Americanized flick, and now Twitch is reporting that the powers that be at Warner Bros. have agreed and delivered an offer for Hedlund’s consideration.
Hedlund could still turn down the role, but it could be his next big career bump, and given that Helena Bonham Carter and Gary Oldman have also reportedly been offered roles, it would definitely be a tough thing for a rising young star to refuse.
A simple IMDB search tells me that the actor's name is Garrett Hedlund, not Grant, as reported in this story. But, I'm still cautiously optimistic for the production of the Akira movie. It could either be really fantastic, or total crap! I just don't see it as being in the middle.