Morgan Freeman In Talks To Play The Colonel In Akira

Morgan Freeman In Talks To Play The Colonel In Akira

Coming off the news that Zac Effron may play the lead, we now have word that Morgan Freeman is circling the role of Colonel Shikishima(that name will no doubt change!) in Albert Hughes live action version of the classic manga..

By MarkCassidy - Nov 07, 2010 07:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Akira
Source: Bloody Disgusting

Bloody Disgusting, who confirmed that Effron has indeed been offered the role of Shotaro Kaneda(reportedly changed to Kaneda Shim) in the upcoming adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's much loved Manga/Anime, have now heard that Morgan Freeman may be up for the part of The Colonel.



In the original Manga, The Colonel was the brave but ruthless Government man in charge of the experiments on the psychokinetic Espers, and later Tetsuo. The Colonel shifted between antagonist and protagonist, depending on where your sympathies lay really. But he was a great character, and a very important part of the story. Obviously in the original he was a Japanese dude. But I think Freeman is a good choice for this Americanized version. Freeman is no stranger to CBMs either, having appeared in Red, Wanted and of course Chris Nolan's Batman movies. If he takes this part I wonder if he will sport the Mohawk? Anyway, whether Freeman is cast or not, it at least looks as if this adap is finally gathering momentum and will actually happen after years in development Hell. But I'm sure many will be split on whether that's a good or a bad thing!



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MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/7/2010, 8:11 AM
Patience is a virtue my young Padowan!
Ibz
Ibz - 11/7/2010, 8:18 AM
you know what why dosent hollywood just make a hellsing movie thats probably one of the only manga that dosent need to get westernised and it would be pretty epic but if this does happen i admit i will end up watching it
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/7/2010, 8:46 AM
haha, look, its happening. They are making a westernised version of this story. That doesn't mean it HAS to suck! Sure the director, Effron and that pg13 make it hard to be optimistic, but I love Akira too much not to be. I'm gonna wait for more info.
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/7/2010, 8:48 AM
epic fail,akira movie news is getting worse everyday.
AlexDeLarge87
AlexDeLarge87 - 11/7/2010, 8:51 AM
This movie needs four things.

1. R-Rating
2. Total japanese cast. (Unknown japanese actors as Kaneda and Tetsuo and Ken Watanabe as Col. Shikishima.)
3. Takashi Miike, Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) or Zack Snyder as the director.
4. And incredible special effects.

But if they have to keep the american cast... I say Liam Neeson or Ed Harris as the colonel. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tetsuo and someone [frick]ing great as Kaneda.
marvel72
marvel72 - 11/7/2010, 8:54 AM
@ alexdelarge666

i agree 100% with almost everything apart from the american cast.
Bandrews1
Bandrews1 - 11/7/2010, 9:06 AM
No not Morgan Freeman even though he's a great actor but not for this, and for some reason I can see Bruce Willis as The Colonel.
THEHAWK
THEHAWK - 11/7/2010, 9:26 AM
Well, this sucks.

I love Freeman. He is pretty bad ass, but I can't see this casting.

I always wanted Denzel Washington for the role. Him or Keith David. They both seem like they'd fit his role better than Freeman
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/7/2010, 9:31 AM
Freeman is not a "fail". But the Colonel is quite a physical role so to that end he might be a bit long in the tooth. I could see Willis, or Washington. I dunno. I just hope Effron passes. Then if they cast Tetsuo well I'll keep an open mind.
selinakyle
selinakyle - 11/7/2010, 9:37 AM
Lol...another one for the Airbending files.
Ibz
Ibz - 11/7/2010, 9:38 AM
i aint even got a problem with efron or freemans its hollywood i have a problem with and i see a trend happening soon all the major studio are going to be making adaptations of anime/mangas
jazzman
jazzman - 11/7/2010, 9:46 AM
they should leave Akira

heres something Hollywood could do "Steamboy"
tazmaniak
tazmaniak - 11/7/2010, 9:48 AM
Are people ever going to calm down on these American versions of properties?It's an American adaptation for an American audience.Of course they're going to have white, black, latin and Asian actors in it.I don't expect to see a full American cast in those Bollywood remakes.I don't expect to see a full American cast in a Japanese or Chinese remake or adaptation of an American/British property.

So why is it that people keep harping on this?

I just want to see these movies.If the Japanese film industry isn't going to make them, then let someone else do it.
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/7/2010, 9:57 AM
But it's AKIRA. How can Zak Efron going to play a guy called Kaneda? Are they going to rename everyone? Are they going to get a japanese boy to be Akira or will they just get an American kid to play him and rename him Joe? They may as well rename the whole film JOE. The Great Manhatten Empire, huh?
Ibz
Ibz - 11/7/2010, 10:00 AM
im fine long as it respects its source material like let me in did
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/7/2010, 10:10 AM
I do get Tazmaniak's point. Its a remake of a foreign film. Was Martin Scorsese being "racist" when he cast American actors in The Departed? If you don't like it thats one thing but its not as if its the first time its happened!
jazzman
jazzman - 11/7/2010, 10:13 AM
@tazmaniak

let someone else do it, Hollywood f-up all the anime and this one is on the hit list. even tho the casting is hit/miss but they want to make this movie into a PG-13 WTF. Akira is 100% a "R" not "PG-13".

@RorMachine

yea but they rename the title and characters. The Departed was not called Infernal Affairs. if they going to do this we might aswell change "Akira" to "Joe" what DukeAcureds2010 mention LOL.
selinakyle
selinakyle - 11/7/2010, 10:24 AM
this movie is gonna fail just like racebender. and i will point and laugh. let me see what racialicious has to say bout this.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 11/7/2010, 10:28 AM
Jazz, yeah they decided to call it The Departed instead of Infernal Affairs but it was still a direct remake! What's the difference? I would like Akira to retain some of its Japanese feel too but we don't know that it won't. I always said a good way to do it would be like Blade Runner. In that it was a huge mix of races, focusing on Americans, but everything was dominated by Japanese culture. If they did something like that they could have any actors the liked but it would keep the Japanese/manga feel to it.
Ranger14
Ranger14 - 11/7/2010, 10:32 AM
"im fine long as it respects its source material like let me in did"

PG 13 when the source material is very graphic is already taking it far enough from the source material for me to cry "Fail" and I have never cried "Fail" on a movie here before. Americanizing it also takes it too far from the source for my taste. Certain source material needs to be left unAmericanized. ;-)
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/7/2010, 10:36 AM
@Ror -godbless you, you hopeless optimist. A good Akira trilogy would be the best thing on the planet and small things like Disney kid playing Kaneda could easily be overlooked. But dude, this is really gonna suck.
jazzman
jazzman - 11/7/2010, 10:37 AM
@RorMachine

if they going to do it they need to change the name of the characters and make the movie a R-Rated movie not PG-13. they want Akira to be a PG-13 movie instead of a "R". imagine Watchmen was a PG-13 movie instead of a R-Rated movie.

also Hollywood have a proven history or not respecting any Anime/Manga on the big screen. we cant forget Dragonball, Fist of the North Star, Guyver, etc.
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/7/2010, 11:01 AM
The first Akira should be an homage remake of the anime, but sticking closer to the first two books of the manga, Keeping it street-level and BladeRunner-esque. The next two should adapt the following two thirds of the manga, with the third one going all out epic. Morgan Freeman should not play the colonel, The Colonel should be a bad ass. Can you really see Freeman striding around the post-apocalyptic wasteland as the transformed Colonel? FAIL.
sweetre15
sweetre15 - 11/7/2010, 12:34 PM
Make it stop!!!!!
HavocT
HavocT - 11/7/2010, 12:43 PM
Morgan Freeman? What the hell? This is just as stupid as someone actually saying that The Rock will be playing Superman.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 11/7/2010, 1:22 PM
Do this movie right of don't bother HOLLYWOOD!

Hell I'm surprised this ain't a FOX movie?!?

Or is it lol, I forgot? ; P
P862010
P862010 - 11/7/2010, 1:31 PM
get Jamie Bell for Tetsuo i will be happy
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/7/2010, 1:31 PM
@Superguy. Sounds like you just saw the anime, which makes no sense until you read the manga. And then it only makes sense with copious amounts of weed or an elegant helping of lsd.
Bigbywolf
Bigbywolf - 11/7/2010, 1:59 PM
I would like to see Stephen Lang as the colonel. I think Ror what you were saying about it having a similar look than, Blade Runner, would be a really good way of doing it. Zac Effron is too much of a pretty boy to fit into this style of movie. He's better doing all that romantic stuff that he is currently doing.
DukeAcureds
DukeAcureds - 11/7/2010, 2:06 PM
The power of Akira is in everyone. Even Zak Efron.
gaikinger
gaikinger - 11/7/2010, 2:07 PM
TETSUOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Gunslinger
Gunslinger - 11/7/2010, 3:35 PM
wrong... so wrong.
joob234
joob234 - 11/7/2010, 3:46 PM
ughhhhh, why dont they just make a movie they can't westernize like helsing or rurouni kenshin (which would be fricking epic if they adapted trust and betrayal!). jus tplease for god's sake, don't adapt code geass, or i'll bomb hollywood lol which is pretty sad cuz i wanna be a screenwriter.......... sigh.
AVEN
AVEN - 11/7/2010, 4:07 PM
@jazzman

And don't forget about Gundam Savior

joob234
joob234 - 11/7/2010, 4:34 PM
g-saviour........................... that was so bad the creator of gundam doesn't even acknowledge it as gundam and never wants gundam to be made into live action ever again. which is a pity cuz a properly done gundam movie would [frick]ing rule!!!!
jazzman
jazzman - 11/7/2010, 6:10 PM
@AVEN

the horror :(
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