Well, first Keanu Reeves ditched Warner Bros.’ adaptation of AKIRA, and now its Albert Hughes, the director. Deadline.com reports that Hughes has parted ways with the production thanks to old-fashioned “creative differences”.
This is perhaps an even more serious blow to the big-budget sci-fi film than Reeves’ departure; the studio still has a wish list consisting of Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy – among many others – for their main star. However, Hughes has long been attached to the film, and his abandoning it could throw a big wrench into the works. Deadline insists that Warners is determined to keep the film on the fast track, and is currently scrambling to find a replacement…
Meanwhile, Hughes begins searching for his next gig. Apparently he’ll stick with Warner Bros., where he and his brother made BOOK OF ELI.
AKIRA‘s synopsis: Neo-Tokyo has risen from the ashes of World War III to become a dark and dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. The government seethes with corruption and only maintains a token control over the powerful military that prevents total chaos and hides the secrets of the past. Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo’s darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject. Tetsuo, captured by the military, is subjected to experiments that make him a powerful psychic, but, unfortunately for Neo-Tokyo, Tetsuo’s powers rage out of control and he lashes out at the world that has oppressed him.
BOOK OF ELI star Mila Kunis