Warner Bros. has popped the Champale and toasted to lowered expectations on its Americanized remake of Akira, officially entering talks with Tron: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund to once more brood on a motorcycle as gang leader Kaneda. The confirmation of Hedlund, as we’ve been dutifully reporting, is just the latest compromise that’s been made by the project—a long series of downgrades that took Akira from a $230-million, two-picture deal with The Hughes Brothers directing and everyone from Brad Pitt to Keanu Reeves being chased for the lead role, to its current, $90 million, Jaume Collett-Serra-directed, “starring the guy from Tron who’s not Jeff Bridges” state. But at last, the Akira remake in the enviable place of being so inconsequential that even those diehard fans who were angry over its total whitewashing can’t get too angry about it, as it’s sort of like hating a P.F. Chang’s for not serving up authentic crab wontons. It’s P.F. Chang’s—what do you expect?
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