Paul Dano is a big fan of Akira, and has spoke at length about some of the changes he was unhappy with in the final script for the planned live action version at Warner Bros. - such as having Kaneda and Tetsuo be brothers etc. The There Will Be Blood/Little Miss Sunshine actor has confirmed that he was indeed up for the second lead role of Tetsuo in the movie, before WB pulled the plug - or at least, shelved it for the time being. Now while speaking to The Playlist, Dano says he was actually in talks for the role with more than one director, and says he would be "more than game" to return to the project, once the right man was on board to ensure things ran smoothly..
"I had a… thing on the ‘Akira’ thing. It’s somewhat nebulous, since ‘Akira’ never got made. I truthfully feel awkward speaking about it, because things that don’t happen, it feels weird.”
I had a screen test for the guy who has the powers, did they change the names? Tetsuo. I’ve had more than one meeting on it with different filmmakers, it’s been around for a while. The only way that movie would be worthwhile would be if someone like Rian Johnson did it or something, that’s the version they should make."
I think he would have made a great Tetsuo, so hopefully if WB ever do decide to make this movie - and make it right - they give him a call. For the full interview click the link below. You can see Dano next in
For Ellen, which opens September 5th.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.