• This Week In Trailers: I Am Eleven, We The Economy, Showrunners, Ambition, Spandau Ballet: Soul Boys Of The Western World

    By Christopher Stipp October 4th, 2014

    Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This week…

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  • Casting Bits: Eva Green, Emma Stone, Carey Mulligan On 'The Thin Man' Shortlist; Gerard Butler In 'Motor City;' Hal Holbrook In 'Promised Land'

    By Russ Fischer March 30th, 2012

    Johnny Depp and Rob Marshall are working to make a new version of The Thin Man, the Dashiell Hammett novel about drunk detective socialite Nick Charles, his charming young wife Nora and the unusual family mystery in which they become embroiled. The question is: who plays Nora? Deadline says there is a shortlist that will…

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  • Now Jeremy Renner Has Been Offered Albert Hughes' 'Motor City'

    By Angie Han March 15th, 2012

    Albert Hughes departed Warner Bros.' Akira and headed to Motor City last year, but his new project seems to be having almost as much trouble as his old one once did getting a leading man to stick. Chris Evans was the first to get the offer for the Chad St. John-scripted picture back in August, before…

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  • Jake Gyllenhaal Replaces Dominic Cooper In 'Motor City' [Updated]

    By Russ Fischer March 9th, 2012

    Briefly: The script for Motor City, written by Chad St. John, sounds pretty rote: a former Army Ranger is framed for a crime, and when released from prison he goes after the guy who did the framing, and who stole his girl to boot. But the script has almost no dialogue -- a few lines,…

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  • Amber Heard Will Star In 'Motor City'

    By Russ Fischer November 22nd, 2011

    Briefly: The next movie from Albert Hughes -- and his first solo effort without brother Allen -- is set to be Motor City, which sounds like a straight-up revenge story based on quick descriptions of the script by Chad St. John. Dominic Cooper stars as a guy just released from prison, who is out for…

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    /Filmcast Ep. 149 - Kung Fu Panda 2 (GUEST: Katey Rich From CinemaBlend)

    By Slashfilmcast February 27th, 2019

    This week, Dave, Devindra, and Adam wonder about the future of Akira and Uncharted, get psyched about David Fincher's next film, and express their disgust for The Hangover: Part II. Special guest Katey Rich joins us from CinemaBlend. You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. Join us…

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  • Another Blow To 'Akira': Albert Hughes Out As Director

    By Germain Lussier May 26th, 2011

    With innumerable mountains to climb on the way to remaking Akira, such as the dark storyline, escalating budget and lack of a star, the one constant the film had in recent months was a director. Now the remake of the classic Katsuhiro Otomo anime/manga is without a captain as director Albert Hughes (seen above right…

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  • Keanu Reeves Passes On 'Akira' And Other Updates

    By Germain Lussier May 17th, 2011

    Neo won't be Kaneda. JoBlo has exclusively learned that Keanu Reeves, who was offered the starring role in Warner Bros. Albert Hughes-directed, live action remake of Akira, has passed. They've also learned that Warners has shut down and fired much of a pre-visualization department that was working on the film. Does this mean Akira is…

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  • The Latest 'Akira' Report: Keanu Reeves To Play Kaneda?

    By Russ Fischer May 6th, 2011

    Oh, Akira. You're never going to be able to make fans happy. Die-hards are going to hate the fact that the characters are older than the original incarnations in Katsuhiro Otomo's manga and movie -- maybe up  to 30 years older if this rumor comes true. There is the whitewashing issue, and the fact that,…

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  • 'Harry Potter' Screenwriter Steve Kloves Rewriting 'Akira'

    By Russ Fischer February 18th, 2011

    There has been a lot of small news of late on the Warner Bros. remake of Akira, which will be directed by Albert Hughes and produced by he and his brother Allen for Appian Way and WB. James Franco, Mila Kunis and Brad Pitt were reportedly all offered roles, and WB seems keen on casting…

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  • Rumor: Brad Pitt Offered The Lead In 'Akira' But Passed

    By Russ Fischer February 18th, 2011

    We just talked about how Mila Kunis may be taking a key role in Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful, after passing on a role in the live-action version of Akira to be directed by Albert Hughes. I'd heard rumor that Ms. Kunis might be looking at an Akira role, but there's a lot…

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  • Is James Franco Going To Play Kaneda In 'Akira'?

    By Russ Fischer February 11th, 2011

    Answer: Probably not. The development of a live-action film version of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga Akira has been long and difficult. The massive story isn't the easiest thing to distill into one or two feature films (just ask the creator, who did it himself in the late '80s) much less for a price that represents an…

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  • Rumors: Morgan Freeman In 'Akira'; Rubik's Cube Movie?

    By Adam Quigley November 9th, 2010

    I've been anxiously awaiting confirmation that Zac Efron will in fact not star in Albert Hughes’ upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular anime/Katsuhiro Otomo‘s six-volume manga Akira, but instead all we've gotten are more rumors. At least this bit of potential casting is much more appealing: it seems Morgan Freeman is circling the role of…

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  • Rumor: Zac Efron In Albert Hughes' 'Akira'?

    By Peter Sciretta November 6th, 2010

    Another rumor which is making the tracking board rounds today is that Zac Efron has apparently been offered the lead role in Albert Hughes’ upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular anime/Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume manga Akira. I'm not able to confirm the offer, but one source tells me Efron is in talks, while another says that…

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    New Screenwriter Hired For Live-Action Akira Remake; Albert Hughes Talks PG-13

    By Russ Fischer June 23rd, 2010

    It's taken a while for Warner Bros. to get a plan together with respect to the live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's six-volume manga Akira, which Otomo previously directed as anime. That 1988 version became a landmark effort in anime, setting a bar for the remake that many fans consider impossibly high. But the anime, massively…

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    The Hughes Brothers Negotiating Deal To Direct The Live-Action Akira Remake

    By Russ Fischer February 10th, 2010

    This is unexpected. Evidently Warner Bros. really liked what Albert and Allen Hughes did with The Book of Eli, because the brothers are reportedly finalizing a deal to direct the long-discussed live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's manga Akira. Originally floated in early 2008 as a two-part film to be directed by Ruairi Robinson, the films…

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  • Hughes Brothers To Direct Denzel Washington In Dystopian Drama Book Of Eli

    By Hunter Stephenson September 5th, 2008

    The Hughes Brothers have been absent from the big screen for far too long. Their last feature, the so-so adaptation of Alan Moore's From Hell with Johnny Depp, was released way back in 2001. Since then, they've dabbled in docs and TV work, so I'm pretty astounded by my acute anticipation for Hughes Bros movies.…

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