The live-action Akira is getting close to becoming a reality. Variety reports that Warner Bros. has greenlit the project with director Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) attached to direct. What's more, they may have already found their leading man in TRON: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund.

Famously adapted as an anime in 1988, Akira will be based on the original manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, depicting a sci-fi cyberpunk dystopia, but will relocate the action to "New Manhattan" rather than "Neo-Tokyo."

Hedlund's involvement is only tentative at the moment, but he would up be for the part of the original story's Kaneda (there is not yet word on whether or not the character names will be changed).

Budgeted at $90 million, Akira could shoot as early as February of next year.

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