Watanabe ‘to replace Oldman in Akira’

(Cover) - EN Movies - Gary Oldman has turned down a role in Akira and will be replaced by Ken Watanabe according to reports.

The British actor was rumoured to be playing the Colonel in the Jaume Collet-Serra movie, which is based on Katsuhiro Otomo’s six-volume graphic novel.

According to Twitch, Gary has officially turned down the role and now his Batman Begins co-star is set to star.

In the film, the Colonel is the director of the secret government project that is holding Tetsuo, a powerful and potential dangerous psychic, in captivity.

The movie will be set in a futuristic New York City – rather than Tokyo where the novel was based.

Gary has been keeping his lips sealed about his involvement in the project.

“Rumour,” he said about Akira in an interview with collider.com. “They’ve approached me, we’ve talked about it, nothing has been confirmed.”

Japanese actor Ken is well known in Japan for his acting and Samurai skills.

In recent years he has also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Inception, Letters from Iwo Jima and Memoirs of a Geisha.

So far, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Helena Bonham Carter and Ezra Miller have all been rumoured to be involved with the movie.

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